UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


Gift  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Q#tft>e  dnb  Q30ift»et<ma 

Collated  and  Compiled 

by  Robert  Ernest  Cowan  and 

William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Cora  Edgerton  Sanders 
and  Harrison  Post 

Assistant  Librarians 

XJolume  I 

(poems,  (|)fct£0t  <xrit>  TUiffcetana 

With  Critical  and  Historical  Notes 
by  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 


San  Francisco: 

Printed  by  John  Henry  Nash 

1922 


•fc- : 

c< 

v.  8 


It  is  sweet  to  dance  to  violins 
When  Love  and  Life  are  fair ; 

To  dance  to  flutes ■,  to  dance  to  lutes 
Is  delicate  and  rare : 

But  it  is  not  sweet  with  nimble  feet 
%  dance  upon  the  air  / 

—The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol. 


4 


5 


(preface 


he  collector  of  first  and  of  early  editions  of 
books  has  often  been  made  the  object  of  ridi- 
cule and  derision  by  those  who  in  themselves 
have  never  felt  the  thrill  of  the  book-hu?it- 
er,nor  known  the  inherent  pleasure  that  the 
mere  possession  of  a  rare  and  curious  literary  item  of  one 
of  the  world*  s  great  writers  ajfords  its  owner.  These  crit- 
ics are  of  a  too  materialistic  nature,  incapable  of  seeing 
and  feeling  the  (esthetic,  or  of  loving  beauty  for  beauty  s 
sake  alone;  they  for  the  most  part  measure  everything  by 
its  pecuniary  value  only  ;  they  derive  their  pleasures  from 
alien  pursuits,  entirely  foreign  to  those  of  the  bibliophile* 
They  are  as  far  removed  from  the  world  in  which  the  lat- 
ter dwells  as  is  the  average  man  from  the  field  of  thought 
and  of  exploration  that  occupies  the  mind  and  the  research 
of  the  astronomer, 

With  these  Philistines  we  have  no  quarrel;  we  are  sat- 
isfied to  leave  them  to  their  own  employments  without  let 
or  hindrance  and  without  envy  of  their  occupations.  And, 
indeed,  so  many  able  articles  have  been  written  in  defense 
of  the  love  of  book  collecting,  that  it  were  superfluous  here 
again  to  reopen  the  controversy.  The  fact  remains  that  in 
the  pur  suit  of  his  avocation,the  bibliophilefollows  the  even 
tenor  of  his  way  regardless  of  all  cavilling  critics,deriving 
pleasure  along  with  hundreds  of  others  and  joining  with 
them  in  a  great  and  enthusiastic  company  havi?ig  a  com- 
mon interest  in  a  movement  of  a  highly  cultural  character, 

[vii] 


But  just  why  a  collection  of  Oscar  Wilde  s  first  editions 
and  their  variations  should  be  gathered  together  and  pre- 
sented as  in  these  volumes,  is  perhaps  a  pertinent  question 
and  one  that  probably  deserves  consideration  at  our  hands. 

The  precious  gems  of  the  Great  Masters'  creative  genius ', 
those  rare  volumes  of  writers  of  an  assured  and  perma- 
nent place  in  literature,  in  the  quest  and  for  the  possession 
of  which  so  many  collectors  have  devotedyears  of  patience, 
time,  and  energy,  have  in  this  day  become  so  scarce  or  so 
augmented  in  value  as  to  be  either  unprocurable  or  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  average  purse.  The  result  is, that  of  late 
years,  the  attention  of  the  bibliophile  has  been  turned  to- 
ward the  more  modern  authors,  whose  works  are  likely  to  be 
of  permanence  and  in  the  search  for  which  sufficient  zest 
is  afforded  the  collector,  by  the  peculiar  conditions  under 
which  they  were  published,  as  to  awaken  in  him  all  the  en- 
thusiasm and  interest  that  heretofore  had  been  expended 
in  the  search  for  the  books  of  the  older  authors. 

Two  conditions,  it  appears,  suffice  to  justify  the  making 
of  a  collection  of  modern  authors, but  these  would  seem  to  be 
sine  qua  non:frst,an  assumption  of  the  author  s  perma- 
nent standing, determined  either  through  ones  own  judg- 
ment, or  from  a  generally  recognized  acceptance  of  the 
writer  s  creations  as  likely  to  obtain  from  posterity  a  fav- 
or able  verdict  in  this  respect;  and  second,  a  condition  ex- 
isting at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  his  works  or  a  hap- 
pening contemporaneously ,  or  soon  thereafter,  limiting  the 

[viii] 


?iumber  of  the  editions, or  their  being  published  under  such 
peculiar  circumstances  as  to  give  them  the  qualities  of  rar- 
ity, scarcity,  and  uniqueness. 

Collections  of  such  wellk?iown  modern  authors  as  Edwin 
Arnold, Max  Beerbohm,Wilkie  Collins,foseph  Co?irad, 
Austin  Dob  son,  Benjamin  Disraeli,fohn  Drinkwater, 
John  Galsworthy,  Rudyard  Kipling,  John  Masefeld, 
William  Morris,  George  Moore,  Charles  Reade,  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,  Algernon  Swinburne,  Arthur  Symons, 
Alfred  Lord  Tennyson,  Anthony  Trollope,Mark  Twain, 
BretHarte,  Walt  Whitman,and  the  literary  works  of  such 
artists  as  fames  McNeill  Whistler  and  Aubrey  Beards- 
ley,  are  now  bei?ig  made,  and  bibliographers,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  this  movement, have  been  busy  with  their  collations 
and  have  published  some  splendid  bibliographies  of  their 
works  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  collectors. 

A  collection  of  Oscar  Wilde  s  first  and  early  editions  is 
certainly  justifiable  under  the  above  criteria.  Many  of 
these  are  very  scarce  and  in  some  instances  consist  of  but 
a  few  copies  such  for  example  as  "  Vera"  andu  The  Duch- 
ess of  Padua  ";  many  are  limited  in  number  and  auto- 
graphed by  him  ;  some  are  presentation  copies  by  the  au- 
thor ;  some  are  printed  on  large  handmade  paper  or  on 
vellum  ;  others  are  in  smaller  issues,  limited  or  unlimited 
in  number;  some  of  his  works  first  appeared  i?i  for  eig?i 
languages;  many  were  issued  by  piratical  publishers  who 
did  not  scruple  to  bring  forth  their  stolen  wares  before  au- 

[ix] 


thorized editions  were  published;  many  of  Wilde  s  writ- 
ings first  came  to  light  in  magazine  form  simultaneously 
in  this  country  and  in  England.Then,too,in  the  field  of 
Wildeiana  the  harvest  is  rich  and  varied,  so  great  was 
the  attention  which  Wilde  drew  to  himself  and  to  his  writ- 
ings. Stuart  Mason  tells  us  in  the  preface  to  his  "Bibli- 
ography of  Oscar  Wilde"  (1914.),  that  his  work  was  the 
result  of  more  than  ten  years  of  labor  in  collecting  this 
writer  s  productions. 

'That  Oscar  Wilde  will  indubitably  find  a  high  place  in 
his  country  s  literature  is  not  for  a  moment  to  be  negatived. 
It  is  a  trite  saying, yet  one  that  has  come  to  be  accepted  in 
the  art  of  criticism, that  a  man  s  genius  and  his  creative 
work  resultant  therefrom,  can  be  properly  evaluated  and 
justly  estimated,and  his  place  assigned  in  the  particular 
art  which  he  follows, only  after  the  passing  of  sufficient 
years  to  allow  a  proper  perspective  to  develop.  What  length 
of  years  is  necessary  for  this  evolution  must  necessarily 
depend  upon  the  artist,  his  personality,  his  literary  pro- 
ductivity, and  the  period  in  which  he  lived  and  worked; 
for  the  fruits  of  his  labors  must  be  judged  with  respect  to 
these  peculiar  factors  which  vary  in  nearly  every  case. 

In  endeavoring  to  apply  this  axiom  of  criticism  to  the 
writings  of  Oscar  Wilde  we  are  met  at  the  outset  with 
seemingly  insuperable  difficulties.  We  have  to  treat  with 
a  most  versatile  and  complex  per son a lity  ;  a  character 
which  may  be  said  to  be  almost  an  enigma, compomided  of 


many  varying  moods  and  idiosyncrasies ;  a?id adumbrat- 
ing the  brilliant  and  dazzling  success  of  Wilde's  career 
lies  the  sombre  debacle  that  ended  in  his  humiliation  and 
disgrace. 

The  time  is  not  yet  when  the  puritanical  and  parochial 

Anglo-Saxon  temperament  can  impartially  pass  critical 

judgme?it  upon  Wilde  s  works.  For  that  purpose  we  are 

still  too  close  to  that  period  of  his  life  which  he  passed  in 

gaol  and  of  which  he  wrote  in  anguish  and  in  despair: 

"...  That  each  day  is  like  a  year, 
A  year  whose  days  are  long." 

The  Latin  race  would  not  be  influenced  by  the  vagaries 
of  his  life  in  reaching  at  this  time  an  unbiased judgme?it 
of  his  writings, But  we  who  speak  his  language  find  it  dif- 
ficult indeed  to  disassociate  the  man  from  the  crime  for 
which  he  suffered punishme?it ;  nor  can  we  read  his  writ- 
ings without  envisaging  the  man  himself  for  he  wrote  so 
much  of  himself  into  his  works  that  they  reflect, as  does  a 
mirror, the  simulacrum  ofhisperso?ialitya?idofhis  moods. 
And  when  we  think  of  Oscar  Wilde,  his  ebullient  spirits, 
his  love  of  life  for  the  mere  joy  of  living,  and  of  the  won- 
drous things  that  the  world  had  to  offer  him  in  thefubiess 
of  his  creative  literary  powers, we  are  filled  with  sorrow 
andwithpity  because  of  the  lamentable  wreck  thathemade 
of  his  career  and  because  a  so  brilliant  life  should  have 
ended  in  such  a  sordid  tragedy. 

In  that  great  essay, UP  en,  Penci  I,  a?id  Poison," found  in 

[xi] 


his  "Intentions"  Wilde  wrote  of  Thomas  Griffiths  Waine- 
wright,that  arch-criminal, poet  uprose  writer, and liter 'a- 
teur,"  the  fact  of  a  man  being  apoisoneris  nothing  against 
his  prose"  The  words  seem  almost  prophetic  in  their  sig- 
nificance. We  should  and  we.  must  in  time  give  due  im- 
personal consideration  to  Oscar  Wilde  s  contributions  to 
English  literature.  Surely  a  man  of  his  versatility  can- 
not fail  to  find  a  lasting  place  in  his  art. 

As  a  raconteur  and  a  conversationalist  he  was  without 
a  peer  in  his  day  as  is  acknowledged  by  all;  but  alas!  there 
lived  no  Boswell in  his  time  to  record  his  ma?iy  witticisms 
and  scintillating  repartees;  these  gifted  powers  in  him  are 
now  a  fast-fading  memory  which  will  soon  pass  into  tra- 
dition. Into  his  successful  comedies,  indeed,he  has  written 
enough  of  his  own  personality  to  give  us  at  least  a  slight 
idea  of  his  remarkable  gifts  in  this  direction,  but  they  are 
surely  insufficient  in  themselves  to  ajfordus  a  satisfactori- 
ly finished  picture.  He  wrote  them  to  astowid the  theatre- 
going  pub  lie, to  "epater  les  Bourgeois"<z.r  it  were,and  he 
thereby, figuratively  speaking, brought  the  entire  London 
world  kneeling  at  his  feet. 

His  verse  is  negligible  in  quantity  and  his  early  efforts 
in  wooing  the  Muse  are  for  the  most  part  neither  better 
nor  worse  than  similar  contemporary  undergraduate  ef- 
fusions. But  later  he  wrote  those  extraordinary  poems, 
"  The  Sphinx" and"  The  Harlot's  House,"  and  also  that 
inco??iparablepoem,"  The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol"— one 

[xii] 


of  the  most  powerful  ballads  written  in  the  English  lan- 
guage in  the  last  hundredy  ears,  which  alone  should  secure 
for  him  a  place  among  the  immortals. 

Among  the  powerful  prose  writers  he  surely  must  take  a 
place  in  the  front  rank.  His  "De  Profundi's,"  so  remark- 
ably edited  by  Robert  Ross, will  always  live  as  an  example 
of  a  supreme  effort  in  self-analysis.  His  fairy  stories  are 
wondrous  works  of  skillful  narrative  power  in  the  realm 
of  fantastic  and  imaginative  tales.  His"  Picture  of  Dori- 
an Gray"  will  certainly  command  attention  as  a  psycho- 
logical delineation  of  the  decline  of  a  man  s  moral  fibre. 
His  critical  essays  are  illuminating  and  are  replete  with 
epigrammatic  brilliancy, and his" Portrait  ofW.H."  is 
as  fine  apiece  of  literary  theoretical  deduction  as  has  ever 
been  penned  in  the  English  langicage. 

After  two  failures  in  the  drama  he  wrote  his  brilliant 
and  paradoxical  comedies  which  will  ever  live  alongside 
the  creations  of  Sheridan  and  others,  and  his  one  power- 
ful drama,"  Salome"  is  a  play  that  even  today  holds  the 
stage  in  Europe  and  America, and  is  produced  in  nearly 
every  language. 

What  a  truly  wonderful  personality !  Oscar  Wilde  the 
poseur, the  attitudinizer,the  cesthete;  a  poet, a  dramatist, 
an  essayist, an  epigrammatist,  a  critic, and  lastly  a  hap- 
less derelict.  What  an  extraordinary  compound  of  diverse 
and  contradictory  talents!  He  is  the  one  outstanding  fig- 
ure of  that  period  known  as  the  «  Eighteen-nineties"  in 

[xiii] 


English  literature  which  began  with  the  JEsthetic  and 
was  followed  by  the  Decadent  school,  to  neither  of  which, 
however, can  he  justly  be  said  to  have  belonged;  his  writ- 
ings,  however ■,  directly  influenced  the  latter  and  this  influ- 
ence continues  to  the  present  day. 

For  this  justification  of  collecting  the  works  of  Oscar 
Wilde  and  of  issuing  the  present  volumes  we  rely  confi- 
dently upon  the  verdict  of  the  bibliophiles  of  America  and 
of  England, 

William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 
July  /,  1 922. 


[xiv] 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

C0e  (poem*  of  Qecax  TUtfbe 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clarkjr. 

£0e  (J)oew0  of  Qmv  TBif  fce 

WILDE,  Oscar  O'Flahertie  Wills  (1854- 1900). 
Newdigate  Prize  Poem.  1 1  Ravenna.  1 1  Recited  In  1 1  The  Theatre, 
Oxford,  1 1  June  26, 1 878.  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde,  ||  Magdalen  Col- 
lege. ||  [Arms  of  the  University.]  ||  Oxford :  ||Thos.  Shrimpton 
And  Son,  Broad  Street.  ||  1 878. 

Condition  :  8°,gray  wrappers  printed  in  black,  with  a  smaller  design  of 
the  arms,similar  to  title-page,  within  a  single  line  border  with  floriated 
points,  on  front-cover.  Size  of  leaf,  7*^  by  4^  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation:  Cover-title  as  above,one  leaf  (verso  blank);Title  as  above, 
one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.  [i]-[2] ;  Dedication,"  To  My  Friend  George 
Fleming,"one  leaf  (verso  imprint),pp.[3]-[4];Text,sixleaves,pp.  [5]- 
1 6 ;  List  of  winners  of  the  "  Newdigate  Prize  Poems,"  from  1 840- 1 8  77, 
back-wrapper  (recto  and  verso),  pp.  [  1  ]-2 ;  List  of  winners  of  the  "  Gais- 
ford  Prize-Greek  Prose,"from  1 8  5  7-1 8  76,  ending  with  imprint,back- 
wrapper(verso),p.  2. 

"  George  Fleming,"  to  whom  this  work  is  dedicated,is  the  pseudonym 

ofJuliaConstanceFletcher,whose"ANileNovel"and"Mirage"were 

published  by  Macmillan  &  Co., in  1 877. 

The  poem  was  published  on  June  24, 1 878, and  the  issue  is  said  to  have 

been  limited  to  a  few  hundred  copies  of  which  Wilde  himself  bought 

no  fewer  than  175. 

[3] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

An  unauthorized  edition  in  attempted  facsimile  of  the  original  was  is- 
sued by  "Wright  &  Jones,"  booksellers  of  3  50  Fulham  Road,  S.  W.,in 
1 904,but  the  fraud  can  at  once  be  detected  in  the  color  of  the  wrappers 
and  in  the  omission  of  the  Oxford  arms  on  the  front-cover  and  on  the 
title-page. 

"Ravenna"  contains  many  lines  adapted  from  poems  published  before 
June,  1 8  78, some  of  the  lines  beingused  again  in  poems  published  later, 
though  probably  written  earlier.  For  an  example,see  the  note  on  "The 
Sphinx." 

With  this  poem  Wilde  won  the  Newdigate  Prize.  The  prize  is  of  the 
annual  value  of  £1 1.  It  was  founded  by  Sir  Roger  Newdigate  in  1806, 
and  according  to  the  conditions  the  poem  was  to  consist  of  not  more 
than  fifty  lines,  the  subject  being  confined  to  "recommendation  of  the 
study  of  the  ancient  Greek  and  Roman  remains  of  Architecture,  Sculp- 
ture, and  Painting,"but  in  1 826  these  regulations  were  modified  both 
as  to  the  length  of  the  poem  and  also  as  to  theme,  and  of  late  years  the 
decasyllabic  line  has  not  been  insisted  upon. 

Ravenna,  the  ancient  Italian  seaport,  was  chosen  as  the  subject  of  the 
Newdigate  for  1878.  A  happy  circumstance  had  equipped  Wilde  for 
the  competition  which  was  denied  to  the  other  aspirants  and  which  gave 
him  a  considerable  advantage  over  them. During  a  longvacation  tour  to 
Greece,  in  18 77,  he  stopped  on  the  way  to  visit  Ravenna,  and  here  he 
gathered  impressions  and  material  that  he  was  later  to  use  in  this  poem. 
He  could  call  back  memories  of  scenes  that  had  been  indelibly  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind; his  rivals  were  left  to  visualize  as  best  they 
could  what  was  to  them  a  mere  geographical  dot  on  the  map. 

The  poem  was  recited  by  Wilde  in  the  theater  at  Oxford  on  June  26, 
1 878. Mr.  Sherard  says:  "The  poem  contains  some  beautiful  lines,and 
anyone  who  remembers  the  extraordinary  musical  beauty  of  Oscar 
Wilde's  voice  will  readily  understand  that, as  is  recorded  in  a  contem- 
porary account  of  the  recital  of 'Ravenna'  by  its  author,  cit  was  listened 
to  with  rapt  attention  and  frequently  applauded '  by  the  crowded  au- 
dience." 

Arthur  Ransome  says :  "The  wordy  piece  of  rhetoric  that  was  published 

[  +  ] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

after  winning  him  the  prize  is  enriched  by  some  pictorial  effects  of  po- 
etry. But  the  best  that  can  or  need  be  said  of  the  whole  is,  that  it  is  an 
admirable  prize  poem." 

By  many  it  is  considered  a  fine  piece  of  work,  and  certainly  is  a  great 
improvement  on  earlier  poetical  works.  It  is  chiefly  interesting  to  the 
student  of  Wilde  for  the  promise  that  it  gives  of  better  things  to  come. 
As  in  almost  all  of  his  other  poems,  Wilde  here  sings  under  another's 
influence  and  inspiration:  the  poem  is  reminiscent  of  Byron. 
References:  DeR\cc\,TheBookCollectorsGuide(i  92  i),p.  630;  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1  Q07),pp.  1-5 ;  Mason,  Bibli- 
ography of Oscar  fVilde  (1914),?]?.  241 -249,  No.  301. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems.  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde.  ||  [Publisher's  device.]  ||  London  :|| 

David  Bogue,  ||  3,  St.  Martin's  Place/Trafalgar  Square,W.  C.|| 

1881. 

Condition:  8°, full  parchment, design  of  prunus  blossoms  stamped 

in  gilt  on  covers,  back  lettered  in  gilt,  and  design  of  prunus  blossoms 

repeated,  gilttop,uncut,byMathewBell.Sizeofleaf,7^by4%  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"  Poems,"oneleaf(versoblank),pp.[i]-[ii];Title 
as  above,one  leaf  (verso  imprint),pp.[iii]-[iv] ;  Sonnet,"Helas  !,"one  leaf 
(verso  blank),  pp.  [v]-[vi] ;  "The  Poems,"  two  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf 
blank), pp.  [vii]-[x] ;  Half-title,"  Eleutheria,"  B 1  (verso  blank),pp.  [1]- 
[2];Text,[B2]-[B8],pp.[3]-i6;Half-title,"The  Garden  Of  Eros,"Ci 
(verso  blank),pp.[i7]-[i8];Text,[C2]-Di,pp.[i9]-34;Half-title,"Rosa 
Mystica,"  [D2]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3 5] -[3 6] ;  Text,  [D3HE6]  (verso 
blank),pp.[37]-[6o];Half-title,"TheBurdenofItys,"[E7](versoblank), 
pp.[6i]-[62];Text,[E8]-Gi,pp.[63]-82;Blankleak,[G2],pp.[83]-[84]; 
Text  of  miscellaneous  poems,[G3]-[H2],pp.  85-100;  Half-title,"Char- 
mides,"  [H3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [ioi]-[io2]  ;Text,  [H4HK7]  (verso 
blank), pp.  [103H142];  Blank  leaf,[K8], pp.  [i43]-[i44];Textof  mis- 
cellaneous poems, Li- [M2]  (verso  blank), pp.  I45~[i64];  Half-title, 
"Impressions  DuTheatre,"[M3](verso  blank),pp. [1 6$]-[i 66] ;Text, 

[5] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

[M4]-[M6]  (verso  blank),pp.  [i  6i\-[i  72] ;  Half-title,"  Panthea,"  [M  7] 
(verso  blank),pp.  [1 73]-[i  74]  ;Text,[M8]-[N5]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [1 75]- 
[186];  Blank  leaf,  [N6],pp.  [1 87]-[i  88];  Text  of  miscellaneous  poems, 
[N7]-[C>5],pp.  1 89-202 ;  Half-title,"  Humanitad,"  [06]  (verso  blank), 
pp.  [203H204] ;Text,[07]-[Q3]  (verso  blank), pp.[205]-|>3o] ;  Blank 
leaf,[Q4],pp.[23i]-[232];Textofpoem,[Q5]-[Q6],pp.233-236;Im- 
print,  [Q7]  (verso  blank),  in  eights,  pp.  [23  7H23  8]. 

Printed  on  hand-made  paper, water-marked  "Van  Gelder."  The  first 
printing  (June,  1 88 1)  consisted  of  750  copies  of  which  only  250  copies 
were  used  for  the  first  edition,  the  remaining  500  being  equally  divided 
between  the  second  and  third  editions. 
Wilde's  prize  poem  "Ravenna"  is  not  included  in  this  collection. 

Onpage  136, second  stanza,line3, the  word"may  "should  read"maid." 
This  volume  contains  Wilde's  early  poetical  effusions,  written  both  be- 
fore and  after  his  "Ravenna,"  the  Newdigate  Prize  Poem.  Many  of  them 
had  previously  appeared  in  "  Kottabos,' '  the  Trinity  College  magazine, 
in  "Waifs  and  Strays,"  "The  Irish  Monthly,"  "The  Month,"  "The 
CatholicMonitor,"inEdmund  Yates's  magazine"Time,"and  in  other 
London  publications.  Someof  the  poems  are  herepublishedforthefirst 
time,  among  others, "  Requiescat."  The  original  manuscript  is  now  in 
the  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr.,  library. 

Before  leaving  Oxford,  Wilde  had  identified  himself  with  what  has  be- 
come to  be  known  as  the  "Aesthetic  Movement"  and  soon  became  the 
acknowledged  leaderof the  cult.  He  affected  fantastic  clothes,long  hair, 
Byronic  collars, and  long  bow-ties, and  oftentimes  could  be  seen  prom- 
enading the  streets  with  a  lily  or  a  large  sun-flower  in  his  hand,  abstract- 
edly gazing  into  the  very  soul  of  the  flower,as  if  seeking  inspiration.  So 
much  attention  did  he  attract  to  himself  by  his  connection  with  "aes- 
theticism"  that  in  due  time  he  was  caricatured  in"Punch,"  as  Bunthorne 
in  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  comic  opera,"Patience."  Whether  sincere  or 
not, the  "  pose,"  says  Mr.  Sherard,  "such  as  it  was,  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. If  notoriety  were  sought  after,it  was  gained  to  the  fullest  extent." 
Managers  offered  him  lecture  tours  in  England,  Scotland,and  in  Amer- 
ica. But  the  most  important  result  for  Wilde  was  that,  through  the  noto- 

[6] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

riety  and  publicity  he  had  achieved,  he  was  able  to  secure  a  publisherfor 
his  poems. 

Most  of  the  poems  are  not  above  the  average  mediocrity  of  the  usual 
undergraduate  effusions;  a  few  of  them,however,are  sufficient  in  them- 
selves to  entitle  Wilde  to  serious  consideration  at  least  as  a  minor  poet. 
They  are,  however,  for  the  most  part,  the  outpourings  of  a  young  man 
still  under  the  influence  of  his  classical  studies,and  deeply  imbued  with 
the  mythology  of  Greece  and  Rome.  With  the  public  the  volume  of 
poems  attained  an  immediate  success,  and  so  great  was  the  demand  that 
in  four  months  as  many  editions  were  printed.  The  American  edition, 
too,  was  widely  read  in  the  United  States,  and  its  successful  reception 
led  ultimately  to  a  lecture  tour  in  this  country. 

Itisacuriousfactthatwiththeexceptionofthe"BalladofReadingGaol" 
and  his  comedy,"  An  Ideal  Husband,"  Wilde, during  his  entire  career, 
was  never  able  to  obtain  commendatory  criticism  from  a  majority  of 
the  critics  for  his  poetical,  his  dramatic,  and  his  prose  works. 

This  volume  was  received  as  the  work  of  one  representing  a  new  move- 
ment in  literature,  but  it  was  stamped  as  artificial,insincere,and  as  want- 
ing in  originality.The  poems  were  declared  to  be  ephemeral  in  character 
and  it  was  predicted  that  soon  they  wouldbe  assigned  to  oblivion,though 
grace  and  beauty  of  expression  could  not  be  denied  them.  On  the  other 
hand  it  can  not  be  negatived,  even  by  the  most  enthusiastic  of  Wilde's 
admirers,that  he  plucked  blossoms  from  the  orchards  of  Shakespeare, 
Milton,  Byron,  Keats,  Browning, Tennyson,  Morris,  Rossetti,  Swin- 
burne,Baudelaire,and  other  poets. Butwhat  he  borrowed  he  so  stamped 
with  his  own  individuality  that  the  result  was  a  work  of  art  entirely  new 
and  entirely  his  own.  Not  always,  to  be  sure,did  he  thus  succeed  but,in- 
deed,for  the  most  part.  Ingleby  sums  up  this  part  in  an  admirable  way : 
"  The  difference  between  the  true  poet  who  has  studied  the  great  verse 
of  bygone  ages  and  the  mere  imitator,is  that  one  will  produce  a  work  of 
art  enhanced  by  the  suggestions  derived  from  the  contemplation  of  the 
highest  conception  of  genius,  whereas  the  other  will  outrun  the  consta- 
ble and  merely  accentuate  and  burlesque  the  distinguishing  character- 
istics of  the  works  of  others.  In  the  case  in  point,  whilst  we  note  with 

[7] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

pleasure  and  interest  the  points  of  resemblance  between  the  poem  and 
the  models  that  its  author  has  followed,  we  are  conscious  that  what  we 
are  reading  is  a  work  of  art  in  its  self  and  that  its  intrinsic  merits  are  en- 
hanced by  the  points  of  resemblance  and  do  not  depend  on  them  for 
their  existence."  Ransome  writes :  "To  describe  a  young  poet's  work  as 
derivative  is  not  the  same  thing  as  to  condemn  it.  All  work  is  derivative 
more  or  less,  and  to  pour  indiscriminate  contempt  on  Wilde's  imita- 
tions, because  they  are  imitations,is  to  betray  a  lamentable  ignorance  of 
the  history  of  poetry."  Wilde's  chief  fault  seems  to  have  been  in  the 
over-elaboration  of  detail  which  cloys  the  play  of  his  fancy  and  of  his 
imagination.  He  is  not  to  be  too  severelyjudged  by  these  early  poems. 
They  should  be  evaluated  only  in  the  light  of  his  later  poems  upon 
which  alone  his  right  to  be  called  a  poet  must  ultimately  be  placed. 
References  :T)eRicc\,The  Book  Collector's  Guide  (i  92  i),p.  630;  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde(i  907),pp.  6-7,  No.  I,i;  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19  1 4-),pp.  281-28  2^0.304. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems.  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde.  1 1  Second  Edition.  ||  [Publisher's  de- 
vice.] 1 1  London :  1 1  David  Bogue,  1 1 3 ,  St.  Martin's  Place,Trafalgar 
Square,W.C.||i88i. 

Condition:  8°, full  vellum  boards, with  design  of  prunus  blossoms  in 
gilt  on  sides  and  back, gilt  top, uncut.  Size  of  leaf,7^  by  5  inches. 
Second  Edition. 

Collation  :  Description  agrees  with  previous  copy  in  every  respect. 
The  design  of  prunus  blossoms  on  the  sides  is  from  a  larger  pattern  than 
in  the  first  issue. 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde (1907), 
p.7, N  o  A,n;Ma.son,Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde(ioi  4),]). 282,^0.305. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems.  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde.  ||  [Publishers'  device.]  ||  Boston:  || 

Roberts  Brothers.  ||  1 88 1 . 

Condition:  8°,  three-quarters  red  crushed  levant  morocco, gilt  back, 

[8] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

gilt  top,  uncut. The  WalterThomas  Wallace  copy  with  bookplate.  Size 

of  leaf,  6^4'  by  4^  inches. 

First  Authorized  American  Edition. 

Collation:  Title  as  above,one  leaf  (verso  imprint),pp.[i]-[ii] ;  Sonnet, 
"Helas!,"oneleaf(versoblank),pp.[iii]-[iv];  "The  Poems,"  two  leaves 
(verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp.  [v]-[viii];  Half-title,"  Eleutheria,"sig.  ii 
(verso  blank), pp.  [i]-[2];  Text, [sig.  i2]-[sig.is],pp.[3]-i6;  Half-title, 
"The  Garden  Of  Eros,"  sig.  1  x  (verso  blank),pp.[i7]-[i  8];Text,[sig. 
22J-sig.3i,pp.[  1 9]-34;  Half-title,"  Rosa  Mystica,"[sig.3  2]  (verso  blank), 
PP-[35]-[36];Text>[sig-33]-[sig-46]  (verso  blank),pp.[37]-[6o];  Half- 
title,"  The  Burden  Of  Itys,"  [sig.47]  (verso blank), pp. [6i]-[62];Text, 
[sig-48]-sig.6i,pp.[63]-82 ; Half-title," Impression Du Matin,"  [sig.62] 
(verso  blank),  pp.  [83]-[84] ;  Text,  [sig.  63]-[sig.72],  pp.  85-100;  Half- 
title,"  Charmides,"  [sig.73]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [ioi]-[io2];  Text,  [sig. 
74]"[s^g-  9t\  (verso  blank),  pp.  [i03]-[i42] ;  Miscellaneous  poems,  [sig. 
98]- sig.  1 1 1  (verso  blank),  pp.  I43~[i62];  Half-title," Impressions  Du 
Theatre,"  [sig.  1 1 2]  (verso  blank),  pp.[i  63]-[i  64] ;  Text,  [sig.  1 1 3]-[sig. 
1 1 5](verso blank),pp.[i 6$]-[i 70] ;  Half-title," Panthea," [sig.i  1 6](ver- 
so  blank),  pp.  [i7i]-[i72J;Text,  [sig.  1  i7]-[sig.  I24]  (verso blank),pp. 
[1 73]-[i  84] ;  Miscellaneous  poems,[sig.  1 25]-[sig.  13 3]  (verso  blank),pp. 
i85~[i98];  Half-title,"Humanitad,"[sig.  i34](verso  blank), pp.  [199]- 
[200];  Text,  [sig.135J-sig.151  (verso  blank),pp.[20i]-[226];Text  of  one 
poem,[sig.i  52]-[sig.i  53],in  eights,pp.227-23o;  Blank  leaf, [sig.  1 54],pp. 
[231H232]. 

On  page  136, second  stanza,line3, should  read  "maid"instead  of"may." 
This  is  a  reprint  of  Bogue's  1 8  8 1  edition. 

References  :  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 907), 
p. 7,  No.  II;  Vinson,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914),  pp. 323-324, 
No. 310. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems  by  Oscar  Wilde.  ||  Also,  His  Lecture  On  The  English 
Renaissance.  ||  .  .  .  New  York:  ||  George  Munro, Publisher  ||  17 
To  27Vandewater  Street.  [1882.] 

[9] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition  :  40,  original  yellow  printed  wrappers,  stitched.  Size  of  leaf, 
\iy&  by  8%  inches. 

CoLLATioN:Yellowwrapperwithadvertisements  of  Brentano  on  recto, 
and  miscellaneous  advertisements  on  verso; Title  as  above,with" Sea- 
side Library,"  Vol.  LVIII,  No.  1 1 83, index, and  imprint,  p.  [1] ;  Mis- 
cellaneous advertisements,  p.  [2] ;  Text,  pp.  [3]-$  1 ;  Miscellaneous  ad- 
vertisements and  list  of  "The  Seaside  Library"  latest  issues, p.  [32]; 
Miscellaneous  advertisements,  back-cover  (recto  and  verso). 
Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 
p.8,No.III. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
Poems  by  Oscar  Wilde.  ||  Also,  His  Lecture  On  The  English 
Renaissance.  1 1  .  . .  New  York:  ||  George  Munro,  Publisher  ||  17 
To  27Vandewater  Street. [1882.] 
Condition:  40, stitched,uncut. 

Collation:  Description  is  identical  with  preceding  copy  except  that 
at  the  end  some  of  the  advertisements  differ  slightly  and  the  list  of"  Lat- 
est Issues"  is  of  subsequent  date. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems||By||Oscar||Wilde||M.DCCC.||.XC.II||Elkin  Math- 
ews ||  &  John  Lane  ||  At  ||  The  Sign  Of  The  ||  Bodley  Head  ||  In|  I 
Vigo  Street  ||  All  Rights  Re- 1|  -served  ||  London. 
Condition:  8°, pale  violet  cloth  boards,with  designs  by  Charles  Rick- 
etts  stamped  in  gilt  on  covers  and  back,  gilt  top,uncut.  The  Rowland 
Thurnam  copy  with  bookplate  in  colors.  Size  of  leaf,7^  by  4  %  inches. 
Author's  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"  Poems,"one  leaf  (verso  "This  Edition  Con- 
sists Of  220  Copies,  200  Of  Which  Are  For  Sale  No.  Of  Copy  197," 
signed  with  autographic  signature  of  Oscar  Wilde),  pp.  [i]-[ii] ;  Picto- 
rial-title as  above,  within  double  ruled  borders,  one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp.[iii]-[iv] ;  Sonnet/'Helas !, "one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[v]-[vi];"The 
Poems,"  two  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp.  [vii]-[x];  Half-title, 

[10] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

"Eleutheria,"Bi(versoblank),pp.[i]-[2];Text,[B2]-[B8],pp.[3]-i6; 
Half-title,"The  Garden  Of  Eros,"Ci(versoblank),pp.[i7]-[i8];Text, 
[C2]-D i , pp. [i  9]-34 ;  Half-title,"  Rosa  Mystica,"  [D2]  (verso  blank), 
PP-  [3  S]~[3 6] ;  Text,  [D3]-[E6]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3  7]-[6o] ;  Half-title, 
"The  Burden  Of  Itys,"[E7]  (verso  blank), pp.[6i]-[62]; Text,[E8]- 
Gi,pp.  [63]-82;  Half-title,"  Wind  Flowers,"  [G2]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[83]-[84];Text,[G3]-[H2],pp.85-ioo;Half-title,"Charmides,"[H3] 
(verso  blank),pp.[ioi]-[i02];Text,[H4]-[K6], pp. [1035-140;  Half- 
title,  "  Flowers  Of  Gold,"  [K7]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [141H142] ;  Text, 
[K8]-Mi  (verso  blank), pp.  I43~[i62];  Half-title, "Impressions  Du 
Theatre,"[M2](versoblank),pp.[i63]-[i64];Text,[M3]-[M5](verso 
blank),pp. [1 65H1 70] ;  Half-title," Panthea," [M6](verso  blank),pp. 
[i7i]-[i72];Text,[M7]-[N4](versoblank),pp.[i73]-[i84];Half-title, 
"The  Fourth  Movement,"  [N5]  (verso  blank),pp.[i  85H1 86] ;  Text, 
[N6]-[04],pp.  1 87-200;  Half-title,"Humanitad,"[05] (verso  blank), 
pp.[2oi]-[202];Text,[06]-[Q2] (verso  blank),pp.[203]-[228];  Half- 
title,"FlowerOfLove,"[Q3](versoblank),pp.[229]-[23o];Text,[04]- 
[Q5], ending  with  imprint,in  eights, pp.  23 1-234. 

The  designs  on  binding,end-papers,and  title-page  are  by  Charles  Rick- 

etts,thaton  the  binding  representing  "The  Seven  Trees." 

This  edition  is  a  reprint  of  Bogue's  fifth  edition  of  "The  Poems."  The 

first  two  preliminary  leaves  are  cut  out,  also  the  sixth  leaf  of  sig.  Q, 

which  contained  a  list  of  Bogue's  publications. 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 

p.  9,No.X;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (191 4),  pp.  319-323, 

N0.309 ;  Widener  Catalogue  (Rosenbach) (1 9 1 8),pp. 278-279. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems ||By||  Oscar Wilde.||New  York:  || George  Munro's  Sons, 

Publishers,  1 1 17  To  27  Vandewater  Street.  [1895.] 

Condition:  8°,fullcrimsoncrushedlevantmorocco, gilt  insideborders, 

gilt  edges,  Jansen  style,by  the  French  Binders.  Size  of  leaf,7^  by  4^ 

inches. 

CoLLATiON:Title  as  above,p.  [1] ;  Advertisements  of  Hamlin's  "  Wiz- 

[»] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

ard  Oil"and"Scott's  Emulsion,"  p.[2];Sonnet,"Helas!,"p.[3];Blank, 
p.[4];Text,pp.[5]-96;  Original  front  yellow  wrapper,  one  leaf  (verso 
list  of  Munro's  library  already  issued);"  Munro's  Library  Of  Popu- 
lar Novels,  Latest  Issue,"  one  leaf  (verso  advertisement  of  Ayer's  Sar- 
saparilla). 

This  edition  isNo.  171,  of  "Munro's  Library  of  Popular  Novels,"is- 
sued  weekly,  datedMay  6, 1 895,price  twenty-five  cents,which  appeared 
in  yellow  wrappers.Ten  of  the  poems  are  omitted  and  the  remainder  are 
not  in  their  original  sequence.  A  later  impression  appeared,dated  April 
21,  1896. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 
p.8,No.VI. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Together  With  His  ||  Lecture  On 
The  English 1 1  Renaissance 1 1  (Now  first  Published)  1 1  Paris  ||  1 903 

Condition:  8°, cream  buckram  boards  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,uncut. 
Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  5  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 

Collation:  "Edition  limited  to  250  copies. This  is  No.69,"one  leaf 
(verso)  (recto  blank);  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Sonnet, 
"  Helas !,"with  ornamental  head-piece, sig.  1  x (verso  blank),pp.[i]-[2] ; 
Half-title,"  Eleutheria,"  [sig.  i2]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3H4];  Text,  [sig. 
1 3]-sig.3 i(verso  blank),pp. 5-^4] ;  Half-title,"  Rosa Mystica,"  [sig.32] 
(verso  blank), pp. [3 5]-[36];Text,[sig.33]-[sig.9g],pp.37-i44;  Half- 
title,"  Impressions  DuTheatre,"sig.  1  Oi(versoblank),pp.[i45]-[i  46]; 
Text,  [sig.  io2]-[sig.  13J  (verso  blank),  pp.  147- [200] ;  Half-title,"  Lec- 
ture On  The  English  Renaissance,"  [sig.  135]  (verso  blank),pp.[20i]- 
[202];Text,[sig.i36]-[sig.i44],ineights,pp.203-2i6.Sig.i4iisunnum- 
bered. 

The  initial  capital  at  the  beginning  of  each  poem  is  the  same  as  those 
used  in  the  pirated  editions  of  "The  Portrait  of  Mr.W.H.,""Lord 
Arthur  Savile's  Crime,"  "The  Sphinx  Without  a  Secret," etc.,  show- 
ing that  all  these  books  were  printed  at  the  same  press. There  is  no  list 

[12] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

of  contents.  The  volume  was  published  by  Smithers,  or  "  Wright  and 

J>  > 
ones. 

The  title  of  the  last  poem  in  this  book  is  given  in  English  characters: 

"GLYKYPIKROS  EROS." 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i  907), 

p.  10,  No.  XI,  i;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  543- 

544,  No.  607. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Together  With  His  ||  Lecture  On 
The  English  1 1  Renaissance  1 1  (Now  first  Published)  1 1  Paris  1 1 1903 

Condition:  8°,fullvellumboards,letteredingiltonback,uncut.Sizeof 
leaf,  7  %  by  5  %  inches. 

Pirated  Edition  on  Japanese  Vellum. 

Collation  :  Description  identical  with  preceding  copy  except  that  the 
verso  of  the  first  leaf  reads : "  Edition  de  Luxe,  on  Japanese  Vellum,  only 
50  copies  issued.This  is  No.  18." 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 907), 
p.  10,  No.  XI,  ii ;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  p.  544, 
No.  608. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Poetical  Works  Of  ||  Oscar  Wilde  Including  ||  Poems  In 
Prose  With  Notes  ||  Bibliographical  Introduc-||tion  Index  And 
Facsimiles  ||  Of  Title-Pages  ||  [Publisher's  device.]  ||  Printed 
For  Thomas  B  Mosher  And  ||  Published  By  Him  At  XLV  Ex- 
change ||  Street  Portland  Maine  MDCCCCVIII 

Con  DiTiON:8°,graypaperboardswithprunus  blossom  design  impressed 
in  gilt  on  sides  similar  to  that  appearing  inDavidBogue's  second  edition 
(1  8  8 1),  ribbed  back  with  white  paper  label  printed  in  black  and  red.  Size 
of  leaf,7^  Dy  SlA  inches. 

Collation:  Half-title,"  The  Poetical  Works  Of  OscarWilde,"one  leaf 
(verso  quotation  from"  De  Profundis"),  pp.  [i]— [ii] ;  Title  as  above,in  red 

[*3] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

and  black,one  leaf  (verso  copyright  notice),pp.[iii]-[iv] ;  Dedication,one 
leaf  (verso  blank),pp.v-[vi] ; "  Contents,' '  three  leaves,pp.vii-[xii] ;  Half- 
title,"  Introduction,"  one  leaf  (verso  sonnet  signed  "A. D."),pp. [xiii]- 
[xiv];  Introduction, pp.xv-xxiii;  Blank,p.[xxiv];Half-title,"Ravenna," 
p.  [ i ] ;  Bibliographical  note,p.  [2] ;  Text, pp.3 -17;  Blank, p. [  1 8] ;  Half- 
title,"  Poems,"  p.[i  9] ;  Bibliographical  note,p.[2o] ;  Sonnet,"Helas !," 
p. [2 1] ;  Blank, p.  [22] ;  Half-title," Eleutheria,"  p. [23] ;  Blank,p.  [24] ; 
Text,pp.25-37;Blank,p.[38];Half-title,"TheGardenOfEros,"p.[39]; 
Blank,p.[4o];Text,pp.4i-54;Half-title,"RosaMystica,"p.[55];Blank, 
p.[56];Text,pp.57-78;Half-title,"TheBurdenOfItys,"p.[79];Blank, 
p.  [80] ;  Text,  pp.  81-98;  Half-title,"Wind  Flowers,"  p.  [99] ;  Blank,p. 
[100];  Text, pp.101 -1 1 5;  Blank,  p. [  1 16];  Half-title, "Charmides,"  p. 
[117];  Blank,  p.[i  1 8] ;  Text,  pp.  1 1 9-1 53  ;  Blank,  p.  [1 54] ;  Half-title, 
"Flowers  Of  Gold,"p.[i  55] ;  Blank,p.[i  $6] ;  Text,pp.i  57-1 74;  Half- 
title,"ImpressionsDuTheatre,"p.[i75];Blank,p.[i76];Text,pp.i77- 
181;  Blank,  p.  [1 82] ;  Half-title," Panthea,"  p.  [1 83] ;  Blank,  p.  [1 84] ; 
Text, pp.  1 85-193;  Blank, p.  [194];  Half-title, "The  Fourth  Move- 
ment,"p.[i  95]  ;Blank,p.[i  96]  ;Text,pp.i  97-206  ;Half-title,"Humani- 
tad,"p.  [207];  Blank,p.  [208];  Text,  pp.209-229;Blank,p.  [230];  Half- 
title,  "Flower  Of  Love,"  p.  [231];  Blank, p.  [232];Text,pp.233~236; 
Half-title,"The  Sphinx,"p.[23 7] ;  Bibliographical  note,p.[23  8] ;  Text, 
pp.23  9-260;  Half-title,"The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol,"p.  [261];  Biblio- 
graphical note,p. [262] ;  Text, pp. 263-295 ;  Blank, p.  [296] ;  Half-title, 
"  Uncollected  Poems,"p.[297];Blank,p.[298];Text,pp.299-3  28  ;Half- 
title,"Poems  In  Prose," p.  [329];  Blank,p.[33o];Text,pp. 331-349; 
Blank, p.  [3 50] ;  Half-title,  "Translations,"  p.  [3 5 1] ;  Blank,  p.  [3 52] ; 
Text,pp. 353-367;  Blank,p.[368];Half-title,"IndexTo  First  Lines," 
p.[369];Blank,p.[37o];Text,pp.37i-375;Blank,p.[376];  Half-title, 
"  Bibliographical  Index,"p.  [3 77] ;Blank,p.  [3 78];  Text, pp.3 79-394; 
Half-title," Facsimiles," p. [3 9 5] ;  I ndex,p. [3 96] ;  Facsimiles,six  leaves 
(verso  of  each  blank),pp.[397]-[408];  Colophonandpublisher's  device, 
p. [409];  Blank,p.[4io].  Four  blank  leaves  at  end. 
The  frontispiece  is  the  London  portrait  of  Wilde  taken  by  Ellis  and 
Walery  in  1 892, reproduced  by  the  Biers tadt  process  in  Alber-type,on 
Japanese  vellum. 

[*4] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

There  are  no  signature  marks. 

The  original  manuscnptdraftofaSenArtysty;Or,TheArtist'sDream," 
from  the  Polish  of  Madame  Helena  Modjeska,  found  on  pages  363  to 
367,  is  in  the  library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
Poems  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  With  Biographical  Introduction  || 
ByTemple  Scott||  Author  of  "The  Pleasure  of  Reading,"  etc.  || 
Editor  of  "  The  Prose  Works  of  Swift,"  etc.  1 1  New  York  1 1  Bren- 
tano's||MCMXIII 

Condition  :  8°,  bufflinen  boards  with  design  and  lettering  stamped  in 
gilt  on  front-cover  and  back,uncut. The  Harrison  Post  copy  with  book- 
plate. Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  5^  inches. 

Collation:  Half-title,  "Poems  Oscar  Wilde, "one  leaf  (verso  Bren- 
tano's  list  of  works  by  Wilde),pp.[i]-[ii]  ;Title  as  above,one  leaf  (verso 
copy  right  notice),pp.[iii]-[iv];  Note  by  the  editor,one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp. [v]-[vi]; "Contents," two  leaves, pp. vii-x;" Introduction," byTem- 
ple  Scott, pp.  xi-xxxiv;  Half-title, "Poems  MDCCCLXXXI,"  one 
leaf  (verso  blank), pp.  [  1  ]-[2];  Sonnet,"  Helas!, "one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
PP'bLM »  Half-title, "  Eleutheria,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[5]-[6] ; 
Text,pp.7-20 ;  Half-title,"The  Garden  Of  Eros,"one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp.  [21  ]-[22];Text,pp.  23-3  6;  Half-title,"  Rosa  Mystica,"one  leaf  (ver- 
so blank),pp.[37]-[38];Text,pp.39-59;Blank,p.(6o];Half-title,"The 
Burden  Of  Itys,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [6  i]-[62];Text,pp.  63-8  2; 
Half-title,"  Wild  Flowers,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [83]-[84];  Text, 
pp.  85-99  ;  Blank,  p.  [100];  Half-title,"  Charmides,"  one  leaf  (verso 
blank), pp.  [ioi]-[i02];Text,pp.i03-i4i;  Blank, p. [142];  Half-title, 
"Flowers  Of  Gold,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[i43]-[i44];Text,pp. 
1 45-1 6 1 ;  Blank, p.  [1 62] ;  Half-title,"  Impression  DuTheatre,"one  leaf 
(verso  blank),pp.[i  63]-[i  64] ;  Text,pp.  165-169;  Blank, p. [1 70] ;  Half- 
title,  "  Panthea,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank), pp. [1 7  i]-[i  72] ;  Text,pp.  1 73- 
182;  Half-title,  "The  Fourth  Movement,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp. 
[i83]-[i84];Text,pp.i85-i95;  Blank,p. [196];  Half-title,"  Humani- 
tad,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[i97]-[i98];Text,pp. 199-222;  Half- 

['5] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

title,  "The  Flower  Of  Love,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank), pp.  [223]-[224]; 
Text,  pp.  225-227 ;  Blank,p. [228];  Half-title,"TheSphinx,"pp.[229]- 
[230];  Text,pp.  23 1-252 ;  Half-title," The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol," 
oneleaf(versoblank),pp.[2  53]-[254];Text,pp.255-285;Blank,p.[2  86]; 
Half-title,"  Later  Poems  And  Translations,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp. 
[287]-[2  88];Text,pp.289-334;Half-title,"Ravenna,"oneleaf(verso 
blank),  pp.  [33  $]-[33 6]  5  Text>  PP-  33  7  "3  53  5  Blank>  P-  [3  54]- 
I  n  this  edition  appears  the  half-title  "Wild  Flowers,"  which  in  all  other 
editions  examined  reads  "Wind  Flowers." 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Sphinx  By  Oscar  Wilde  ||  [Full-page  design.]  ||  With  Dec- 
orations By  Charles  Ricketts||  London  MDCCCXCIV||Elkin 
Mathews  And  John  Lane.  At  The  Sign  Of  The  Bodley  Head. 

Condition:  Small  4°,full  vellum  boards,with  gilt  designs  on  sides  and 
back  by  Charles  Ricketts,whose  monogram  "  C  R"  appears  in  the  bot- 
tom left-hand  corner  of  the  front-cover;  and  in  the  bottom  left-hand 
corner  of  the  under-cover  appears  the  monogram  of  the  binders,Leigh- 
ton,  Son  and  Hodge;  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  6^  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation:Two  blank  leaves ;  Half-title,"The  Sphinx,"one  leaf  (ver- 
so "  The  Edition  Of  This  Book  Is  Limited  For  England  To  200  Cop- 
ies All  Rights  Reserved");  Dedication," To  Marcel  Schwob,"one  leaf 
(verso  blank);  Title  as  above,  in  black,  red,  and  green,  one  leaf  (verso) 
(recto  blank);  Text,  fourteen  leaves,  the  verso  of  the  last  being  blank; 
Imprint,  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Two  blank  leaves.  There  is  neither 
pagination,  nor  any  signature  marks. 

There  are  nine  full-page  plates  including  the  title,  and  one  half-page 
plate,  all  printed  in  light  red.  The  running  titles  are  also  in  red.  The 
title, "The  Sphinx  By  Oscar  Wilde,"and  the  text  are  in  black;  a  large 
decorated  initial "  I "  to  the  first  line  of  the  poem  and  twelve  fancy  ini- 
tial capital  letters,  one  at  the  beginning  of  each  section,  the  catch  words, 
and  the  imprint  on  title  are  in  bright  green.The  text  is  printed  through- 

[16] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

out  in  small  capitals.  The  first  letter  of  each  line  and  the  continuation 
of  the  first  word  of  each  section  are  in  larger  capitals. 
Fifty  additional  copies  were  printed  for  the  press  and  for  sale  in  Amer- 
ica. 

The  last  two  stanzas  have  been  set  to  music  under  the  title  of  "False 
Sphinx,"  in"  Two  Songs,"  by  Henry  C.  ff.Castleman ( Weekes  &  Co.), 

I9I3- 

This  poem  appeared  September  29th,  1894, and  was  the  last  work  of 

Wilde's  published  before  he  was  to  breathe  the  foul  and  fetid  air  of  jail 

and  suffer  the  ignominy  of  confinement  within  prison  walls. 

There  seems  to  be  some  doubt  as  to  when  "  The  Sphinx "  was  written. 

In  the  opening  stanzas  of  the  poem  he  alludes  to  his  age: 

"...  I  have  hardly  seen 
Some  twenty  summers  cast  their  green  for 
Autumn's  gaudy  liveries." 

If  these  lines  have  any  biographical  significance,  the  poem  would  seem 
to  belong  among  his  earliest  works. The  like  reference  appears  in  the 
Newdigate  Prize  Poem, "  Ravenna"  (1878),  Part  VI ,  pages  14-15: 

"One  who  scarce  has  seen 
Some  twenty  summers  cast  their  doublets  green, 
For  Autumn's  livery." 

StuartMasonin"ABibliographyofthePoemsofOscarWilde"(i907), 
pages  74-75,  says :  "Altogether  some  dozen  passages  of  Ravenna  are 
taken  more  or  less  verbatim  from  poems  published  before  18  78, while 
no  instance  is  found  of  HnesintheNewdigatePrizePoembeingrepeated 
in  poems  admittedly  of  later  date,and  this  seems  fairly  strong  proof  that 
the  lines  in  The  Sphinx  (if  not  the  whole  poem)  ante-date  Ravenna." 
Mr.  Ernest  Newman  in  an  appreciation  of  Oscar  Wilde  in  "The  Free 
Review" (June,  1 895), says: "This  I  hardly  think  possible. The  man 
who  could  write  such  poetry  at  the  age  of  twenty  is  little  short  of  the 
highest  genius." 

M  r.  Robert  Ross  in  a  note  to  some  of  the  later  editions  of  "The  Sphinx" 
says  that  the  poem  was  written  before  Oscar  Wilde's  first  volume  was 
published  in  1 8  8 1  ,and  that  the  author  always  told  him  that  it  was  com- 
posed and  written  in  Paris,in  1 8  74-Wilde  was  born  in  1 8  54,which  would 

[*7] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

lend  some  support  to  the  biographical  allusion  in  the  lines  above  quoted. 
But  Sherard  denies  this  and  he  was  with  Wilde  when  the  poet  was  oc- 
cupying a  suite  of  rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Hotel  Voltaire,Quai 
Voltaire,  overlooking  the  Seine  and  the  Museum  of  the  Louvre,  and 
he  states  that  Wilde  gave  him  the  impression  that  it  was  an  entirely 
new  work.  Wilde  was  twenty-eight  at  that  time. 

It  is  very  possible  that  the  poem  was  commenced  while  he  was  at  Mag- 
dalen College  and  later  completed  in  Paris.  Robert  Ross  tells  us  that 
the  poem  was  polished  and  improved  in  1889, "after  he  had  unearthed 
the  MS.  from  an  old  despatch  box  at  Tite  Street  in  my  presence." 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  Baudelaire  suggested  and  inspired  the  work. 
An  early  draft  of  the  poem  shows  it  originally  to  have  been  written  in 
quatrain  form,  but  later  the  form  was  changed  to  consist  of  two  instead 
of  four  lines;  the  metre,  nevertheless,  is  that  ofTennyson's"In  Me- 
moriam,"  one  which  Wilde  followed  in  many  of  his  other  poems. 
The  publication  of  the  work  shocked  the  moralists  of  the  press  and  the 
public  generally.  It  has  been  called  "decadent," a  much  abused  word 
and  of  doubtful  application  to  "The  Sphinx."  Lord  Alfred  Douglas 
calls  it  poisonous.  It  is  a  bizarre  and  an  artificial  work, a  fantasy, a  phan- 
tasmagoria, embracing  the  entire  Egyptian  mythology,  in  which  again 
the  poet  shows  his  extreme  versatility. 

Doubtless  many  hours  were  passed  by  Wilde  in  the  Egyptian  section 
of  the  Louvre,  studying  in  minutest  detail  the  treasures  found  therein, 
the  result  of  which  labor  went  later  to  embellish  his  wonderful  poem. 
The  final  draft  of  "The  Sphinx"  is  now  in  the  British  Museum, pre- 
sented to  the  trustees  by  Robert  Ross,  Wilde's  literary  executor,  to 
whom  it  had  previously  been  given  by  Mr.  C.  Ricketts. 
References:  DeRicci,  The  Book  Collector s  Guide  (1 92  i),pp.  63  2-633 » 
MasonyBibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  {\  907)^.71-72 ;  Ma- 
son, Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914),  pp.  392-394^0. 361 ;  John 
Henry  Wrenn  Library  Catalogue  (1 92o),Vol.V,  p.  13  8. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  ||  Sphinx.  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  [Ornament  and  device.]  | 
London.  A.D.  1901.H  Privately  ||  Printed. 

[18] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition  :  Small  40,  purple  wrappers  folded  over  a  stiff  card,  printed 
in  black,  uncut.  Size  ofleaf,  9^  by  7^  inches. 

Pirated  Edition. 

CoLLATiON:Twoblankleaves;Half-title,"The  Sphinx,  "one  leaf(ver- 

so  "Only  300  copies  of  this  work  have  been  printed  :  250  on  Antique 

Paper,and  50  on  Japanese  Vellum.  No.  51.");  Title  as  above,  one  leaf 

(verso  dedication  to  Marcel  Schwob);  Text,  Ai-[H3]  (verso  emblem), 

in  fours,  leaves  1 -31;  "Finis,"  with  two  emblems, [H4]  (verso  blank), 

leaf32. 

On  the  verso  of  each  leaf  used  alternately  are  the  designs  of  the  head 

and  the  crucifix  which  appear  on  the  title-page. 

Many  misprints  and  omissions  occur  throughout  the  text. 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 
p. 73, No.  I;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp. 550-551, 
No.  621. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Sphinx  ||  By  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Illustrated  And  Decorated  ||  By 
Alastair||London:  John  Lane,The  Bodley  Head  ||  New  York: 
John  Lane  Company:  MCMXX 

Condition  :  8°, white  canvas  boards,with  a  design  stamped  in  gold  and 
blue  on  front-cover,  gilt  back,  gilt  top,  uncut.  Size  ofleaf,  1 1  ^  by  8  ^ 
inches. 

Limited  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  list  of  works  by  Oscar  Wilde), 
pp.  [  1  ]-[2] ;  Title  as  above,in  green  and  black,  one  leaf  (verso  "This  edi- 
tion is  limited  to  1,000  copies  and  cannot  be  reprinted,  as  the  stones 
from  which  the  offset  plates  were  printed  were  in  Belgium  at  the  time 
of  the  German  invasion, and  were  destroyed,"  and  imprint),pp.[3J-[4] ; 
"  List  Of  Illustrations,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[5]-[6]  ;Note  by  Rob- 
ert Ross, dated  April  19,191  o,one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[7]-[8] ;  Second 
half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [9]-[io]  ;Text,  Ai-Di,in  fours, 
pp.  II-36. 

[•9] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

There  are  twelve  full-page  illustrations  printed  in  black  and  blue.  Ten 
of  these  are  enumerated  in  the  list  of  illustrations,  each  protected  by  a 
tissue-guard  on  which  is  printed  the  subject  of  the  drawing.There  are 
also  thirteen  initial  letters.  All  of  these  illustrations  are  of  a  most  fan- 
tastic character. 

[WILDE,  Oscar.] 

The  1 1  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol 1 1  By  1 1 C.  3. 3. 1 1  Leonard  Smithers 1 1 

Royal  Arcade  London  W||Mdcccxcviii 

Condition:  8°,  cinnamon  colored  linen  boards,  white  linen  back  let- 
tered in  gold,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  "  Of  this  Edition  eight  hundred  copies  have  been  printed 
on  handmade  paper,  and  thirty  copies  on  Japanese  vellum"  and  copy- 
right notice,  Ai(verso)  (recto  blank);  Half-title,"TheBallad  Of  Read- 
ing Gaol,"  [A2]  (verso  blank) ;Title as  above,[A3]  (verso blank); Dedi- 
cation, [ A4]  (verso  blank) ;  Text,  B 1  -  [ I3  ]  (verso  blank),  leaves  1  -3 1 ; 
Blank  leaf,  [I4],  leaf  [32].  In  fours.The  verso  of  each  leaf  in  the  text  is 
blank,  and  the  leaves  only  are  numbered. Though  no  imprint  appears, 
this  book,  according  to  Mason,  was  printed  on  Dutch  hand-made  paper, 
water-marked  "Van  Gelder,"  at  the  Chiswick  Press. 
There  are  numerous  variations  in  the  texts  of  the  first  and  second  edi- 
tions respectively;  all  subsequent  impressions  and  most  reprints  follow 
the  text  of  the  second  edition. 

The  person"  C.T.  W.,"  to  whom  this  volume  was  dedicated,was  Charles 
T.  Woodbridge,who  was  put  to  death  in  Reading  Gaol  for  the  murder 
of  his  wife,  Ellen  Woodbridge,  at  Windsor. 

Translations  have  been  published  in  French,German,Spanish,modern 
Greek,  and  in  Yiddish. 

Douglas  claims  to  have  assisted  Wilde  materially  in  composing  this  bal- 
lad and  makes  the  statement  in  his  "Oscar  Wilde  and  Myself"  (19 14) 
that  there  are  passages  in  it  which  Wilde  "lifted  holus-bolus"  from  a 
poem  of  his  own. 
The  material  for  the  poem  was  gathered  while  Wilde  was  in  prison, but 

[20] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

it  was  not  written  until  after  his  release,  when  a  rough  draft  was  made 
by  him  in  the  summer  or  autumn  of  1 897  at  Berneval,  near  Dieppe.  He 
afterward  revised  it  in  Naples  and  in  Paris,  and  it  was  finally  published 
in  1 898  under  the  pseudonym  of  "C.3.3.,"  which  was  his  prison  num- 
ber, meaning  cell  three  on  the  third  landing  of  gallery  C. 
The  poem  was  inspired  by  A.E.Hausman's  poem  entitled"  A  Shrop- 
shire Lad,"  but  the  works  Wilde  modeled  after  were  Coleridge's  "An- 
cient Mariner,"  and  Hood's  "The  Dream  of  Eugene  Aram." 

The  critics  received  the  work  with  much  praise.  "The Times,"  which 
represented  the  puritanical  sentiment  of  the  English  press,  commended 
it  in  eulogistic  terms.  It  was  powerfully  reviewed  in  "The  Nineteenth 
Century,"  forjuly,  1 904,by  Lady  Currie  in  an  article  entitled  "  Enfants 
Trouves  of  Literature."  It  is  she  who  writes  that  a  friend  of  hers,  who 
wasjudged  to  be  an  authority,  had  told  her  that  he  thought  certain  pas- 
sages in  the  poem,  by  reason  of  their  terrible,  tragic  intensity,  should 
be  placed  upon  a  level  with  some  of  the  descriptions  in  Dante's  "In- 
ferno," except  that  the  ballad  was  so  much  more  infinitely  human.  In 
theintroductiontoAndreGide's"StudyofOscarWilde"(i905),trans- 
lated  by  Stuart  Mason,  a  criticism  of  a  reviewer  in  a  London  journal  is 
quoted  as  follows:  "The  whole  is  awful  as  the  pages  of  Sophocles. That 
he  has  rendered  with  his  fine  art  so  much  of  the  essence  of  his  life  and 
the  life  of  others  in  that  inferno  to  the  sensitive,  is  a  memorable  thing 
for  the  scientist,  but  a  much  more  memorable  thing  for  literature.This 
is  a  simple,  a  poignant,  a  great  ballad,  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  English 
language." 

Even  Lord  Alfred  Douglas,  who  in  his  book  has  rarely  anything  kind 
to  say  of  Wilde's  writings,admits:"It  is  sufficient  for  us  that,in  the  'Bal- 
lad of  Reading  Gaol '  we  have  a  sustained  poem  of  sublimated  actuality 
and  of  a  breadth  and  sweep  and  poignancy  such  as  had  never  before  been 
attained  in  this  line."  He  contends  however  that  on  this  poem  alone 
will  Wilde's  reputation  as  a  poet  live. 

Wilde  never  could  have  written  this  poem  had  he  not  suffered  the 
agony,  the  torture,  and  the  horror  of  a  living  death  during  his  incarcer- 
ation in  ReadingGaol. His  experience  there  had  transformed  the  man's 

[21] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

character  so  that  it  had  acquired  a  compassionate  sympathy  for  human 
surTering.There  is  nothing  of  persiflage  nor  of  insincerity  in  this  work- 
nothing  of  the  bizarre  which  was  wont  to  mar  his  earlier  poems.  It  is 
regarded  as  the  strongest  invective  against  capital  punishment  in  any 
literature. 

This  was  the  last  work  written  by  Wilde  after  his  release  from  Reading 
Gaol.  He  made  some  hack  translations  and  revised  one  or  two  of  his 
works  for  publication. But  his  creative  spirit  had  been  broken  and  never 
again  until  his  death  could  he  lift  himself  out  of  the  rut  of  otiosity  into 
which  he  had  fallen. 

References:  DeRicci,?"^  Book  Collector  s  Guide  (1921)^.633;  Ma- 
son, Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (iQC>7)jpp.76-77,No.I,i; 
Mason,Bibliography  of 'Oscar  Wilde  (19 1 4),pp.407-408,No.3  7 1 ;  Wide- 
ner  Catalogue  (Rosenbach)  (1 9 1 8),p.  279. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  1 1  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol  1 1  By  1 1 C.  3 . 3 . 1 1  Leonard  Smithers  1 1 
Royal  Arcade  London  W||  Mdcccxcviii 

Condition:  8°;  description  agrees  with  the  first  edition  in  every  re- 
spect. 

Second  Edition. 

Collation:  Description  agrees  with  the  first  edition, with  the  follow- 
ing exceptions:  On  the  verso  of  Ai,the  statement  of  limited  edition 
is  omitted  and  the  date  of  copyright  is  changed  to  February,  1898;  on 
the  verso  of  the  title-page  is  printed  "Second  Edition." 
This  was  an  edition  of  1000  copies  printed  February  24, 1 898,  and  the 
text  differs  in  numerous  respects  from  that  of  the  first  edition. 
References:  Nlzson, Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of Oscar  Wilde  (1 90  7), 
p. 77, No. II;  M.zsonyBibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp. 417-419, 
N0.373. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  ||  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol  ||  By  ||  C.  3. 3.  ||  [Oscar  Wilde]  || 
Leonard  Smithers  ||  London  ||  Mdcccxcix 

[22] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition:  8°,cinnamon  linen  boards,white  linen  back  lettered  in  gilt, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  5  5^  inches. 

Eighth  Edition. 

Collation:  Description  agrees  with  that  of  the  second  edition  in  every 
respect. 

In  this  copy  the  address  of  Leonard  Smithers'  is  omitted  on  the  title- 
page  as  he  was  at  this  time  a  bankrupt.  The  book  was  printed  by  G. 
Woolley,of  137  Dalling  Road,Hammersmith,W.,who  printed  many 
of  the  piracies  for  which  Smithers  was  held  responsible. 
On  page  24,  stanza  three,  line  5,  the  word  "not"  should  read  "but"; 
other  slight  variations  may  be  noticed  in  the  arrangement  of  lines  on 
pages 4, 6, 1 2, 1 5, 1 6, and  25. 

References:  ^A2iSon,Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  JVilde{  1 907),  p. 
79,No.VI  1 1;  Ma.sor\,Bib/iography  ofOscarWilde  ( 1 9 1 4),p-53 1  ,No.  5  84. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Ballad  Of  ||  Reading  Gaol  ||  By  C.33  ||  Brentano's  ||  New 
York  191  o 

Condition:  1 6°, gray  paper  boards  with  white  paper  label  lettered  in 
black  within  a  single  ruled  border  in  red  on  front-cover,  white  paper 
label  on  back.  Size  of  leaf,  6%  by  3  finches. 

Collation  :  Half-title,"The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol,"one  leaf  (verso 
blank)  ;Title  as  above,in  red  and  black,one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;"  I  n  Me- 
moriam,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Second  half-title,one  leaf  (verso  blank); 
Text,[sig.ii]-[sig.  2^]  (verso  blank),  in  sixteens,  leaves  1-39. 
Each  leaf  is  numbered  and  the  verso  of  each  is  blank. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  ||  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol  ||  By  ||  C.  3. 3.  ||  [Publisher's  de- 
vice.] ||  Published  by  Brentano's  at  ||  3 1  Union  Square  New  York 
[n.d.] 

Condition  :  1 6°,yellow  linen  boards  with  ornamental  design  in  red  and 
black,gilt  top,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  6  %  by  3  finches. 

[23] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

Collation  :  Half-title,"  The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol,"one  leaf  (verso 
blank);Title  as  above,in  red  and  black,one  leaf  (verso  blank);"In  Me- 
moriam  C.T.W.,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  sig.  ii-[sig.37],  in  six- 
teens,  leaves  1-39  (verso  of  each  leaf  blank);  Imprint,  [sig.  3  s]  (verso 
blank). 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Ave  Imperatrix!  ||  A  Dirge  Of  ||  Empire  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  || 
[Printer's  device.]  ||  Snohomish  Washington  ||  1902 

Condition:  1 6°, Japanese  vellum  boards, red  silk  doublures  and  ties, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf, 7  by  4^  inches. 
Limited  Edition. 

Collation  :Two  preliminary  blank  leaves  ;Title  as  above,in  black  and 
red,  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Foreword,  signed  "John  D.  Clancy,  Seat- 
tle,i902,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Title  of  frontispiece,  in  red,oneleaf 
(verso  blank);  Text,  thirty-one  leaves  (verso  of  each  leaf  blank);  Colo- 
phon, one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Printer's  device,in  red  and  black,one  leaf 
(verso  blank); Two  blank  leaves. 

This  edition  is  limited  to  150  copies,  this  being  No.  1 10. 
There  are  no  signature  marks  and  no  pagination. 
The  frontispiece,  on  glazed  paper  and  within  an  ornamental  colored 
border,  is  by  John  Dennis  Clancy. 

The  book  is  printed  by  Will  H.Ransome,at  the  Hand-Craft  Shop. 
Each  stanza  is  within  a  like  design  and  begins  with  an  illuminated  ini- 
tial letter,  as  do  also  the  foreword  and  colophon. 
This  poem  is  acknowledged  by  all  critics  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  war 
paeans  ever  written  in  the  English  language.  Surely  neither  Tennyson 
nor  Kipling  has  done  anything  comparable  with  it. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Rose-leaf  and  Apple-leaf  ||  L' Envoi  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Lon- 
don ||  Printed  for  Private  Circulation  ||  Mdcccciiii 

Condition:  8°,  with  green  printed  wrappers  and  ornamental  border, 
stitched,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  4^  inches. 

[>4] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Collation:  Cover-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Half-title,  "Rose-leaf 
and  Apple-leaf  L'Envoi  By  Oscar  Wilde,"  [Ai  j]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[i]-[2];Titleasabove,in  red,  black,  and  green,  [A  i2]  (verso  blank),pp. 
[3]-[4];"The  issue  consists  of  200  copies,  of  which  this  is  No.  149," 
Aii  (verso  blank),  pp.  [5]-[6] ;  Text,  with  ornamental  head-piece  and 
initial  letter,[A22]-[A8!],in  duplicate  signatures  of  twos  and  sixes,  pp. 
7-30;  Blank  leaf,  [A82]. 

This  edition  published  by  "Wright  and  Jones,"  merely  contains  a  re- 
print of  Oscar  Wilde's  introduction  ("  L'Envoi " )  to  "  Rose-leaf  and 
Apple-leaf,"a  book  of  poems  by  Mr.Rennell  Rodd  published  in  Phil- 
adelphia,in  1 8  8  2.  This  is  the  first  publication  in  England  of  this  poem. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Harlot's  House  1 1  By  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Privately  Printed  ||  1 905 

Condition:  Small  4°,gray  wrappers, printed  in  black,  on  hand-made 
paper,  stitched,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,7^  by  51^  inches. 

Privately  Printed  Edition. 

Collation  :  Cover-title  as  above  (verso  blank) ;Title  as  above,one  leaf 
(verso  blank);Text,pp.  1-3 ;  Blank,p. [4] ;  Blank  leaf,pp. [5]-[6].There 
are  no  signature  marks. 

This  edition  was  printed  for  private  circulation  and  was  not  put  on  the 
market  as  were  the  pirated  issues  of  Smithers,"  Wright  and  Jones," 
Carrington,  etc.  A  few  copies  were  sold  at  one  shilling. 

The"Harlot's  House"  was  written  atabout  the  same  time  as  was"The 
Sphinx,"whenWildewas  living  at  the  Hotel  Voltaire,  Paris.  It  was  first 
published  April  1 1, 1885, inVol. I, No.  1 1, of  "The  Dramatic  Review. 
A  Journal  of  Theatrical,  Musical  and  General  Criticism,"  where  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  lost  sight  of  for  some  years.  Wilde,  in  this  poem,  is 
more  individualistic  and  original  and  the  influence  of  others  is  not  so 
noticeable  as  is  the  case  in  others  of  his  poems;  yet  undoubtedly  the 
source  of  the  inspiration  is  Baudelaire.  The  form  is  short  and  lyrical 
in  style;  it  is  exotic  in  its  appeal  and  altogether  impish, sinister, and 
unwholesome,  yet  not  decadent  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  that  word. 

[*s] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

References:  Mason,Biblwgraphy  oft  he  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (iQ07),p. 
6o,N  o.II  ;MasontBiMiography  0/ Oscar Wilde  (1914),^- 539,^  0.596. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Harlot's  House  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Illustrations  by|  |  Althea 
Gyles  1 1  [Printer's  device.]  1 1  John  W.  Luce  And  Company  1 1  Bos- 
ton MCMX 

Condition:  8°,maroon  boards,figure  and  lettering  stamped  in  gilt  on 
front-cover,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  %yi  by  6  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 

Collation:  Preliminary  blank  leaf;  Half-title,"  The  Harlot's  House," 
one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Title  as  above,  in  red  and  black,  one  leaf  (verso 
blank);  Second  half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  six  leaves;  Two 
blank  leaves  at  end. There  are  no  signature  marks  and  no  pagination. 
There  is  a  frontispiece,  also  four  full-page  illustrations  by  Althea  Gyles, 
each  with  protecting  tissue  lettered  at  the  bottom  in  red. 
Miss  Gyles's  black  and  white  work  nearly  reaches  to  that  standard  set 
by  Beardsley  in  depicting  an  impressionism  of  the  abnormal. The  illus- 
trations are  quite  in  keeping  with  the  endeavor  to  reach  the  weird  and 
bizarre  so  characteristic  of  the  art  and  letters  of  that  period. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

OscarWilde||Poems||in  Prose  ||  [Printer's  ornament.]  ||  Paris || 
Privately  Printed  ||  1 905 

Condition:  8°, cream  glazed  printed  wrappers  folded  over  the  end 
leaves,  lettered  on  back,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  5%  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 

Collation  :  Cover-title  as  above,in  black  and  red  (verso  blank) ;  Half- 
title,"Poems  in  Prose,"  one  leaf  (verso  "Fifty  copies  of  this  work  have 
been  printed  on  Imperial  Japanese  paper.");  Title  as  above,in  black  and 
red,one  leaf  (verso  blank);  "Table  ofContents,"one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp.[i]-[2];  Second  half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3]-[4];Text, 
pp.  [5J-3  8  ;Twoblankleaves;Design,back-cover(verso)(recto  blank). 
Pages  8  and  1 8  are  blank. 

[26] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

The  book  is  printed  on  thick  laid  paper;  to  each  chapter  there  is  a  deco- 
rated initial  capital  in  black  and  red,  and  head-  and  tail-pieces  in  red 
throughout. 

The  text  follows  that  of  the  "Fortnightly  Review," July,  1894, pages 
22-29. This  pirated,  edition  was  published  by  Charles  Carrington. 
Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 9  I4),pp.  544-545, 
No.  609. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Poems  In  Prose  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  [Publishers'  device.]  1 1  Green- 
wich, Connecticut  1 1 The  Literary  Collector  Press  ||  1 905 
Condition  :  1 2°,  gray  boards  with  white  paper  labels  on  front  and  back, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  5^  by  4^  inches. 

Collation :  Half-title, "Collector  Reprints  No.  4  Poems  In  Prose," 
one  leaf  (verso  statement  of  limited  edition),pp.  [  1  ]-[2] ;  Title  as  above, 
in  red  and  black,one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[3]-[4] ;  "Contents,"  one  leaf 
(versoblank),pp.[5]-[6];Half-title,"TheArtist,"oneleaf(versoblank), 
pp.  [7]-[8] ;  Text,  one  leaf,  pp.  9  -1  o;  Half-title,  "The  Doer  of  Good," 
one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[i  i]-[i  2] ;  Text,  two  leaves,  pp.13-1 6;  Half- 
title,"TheDisciple,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[i  7]-[i  8]  ;Text,one  leaf, 
pp.  1 9-20;  Half-title,"The  Master,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[2 1  ]-[2  2] ; 
Text,  one  leaf,  pp.  23-24;  Half-title,  "The  House  of  Judgment,"  one 
leaf(versoblank),pp.[25]-[26];Text,threeleaves,pp.27-32;Half-title, 
"TheTeacher  of  Wisdom,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[33]-[34]  ;Text, 
eight  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),pp.35-[5o];  Blank  leaf  at  end. 

Of  this  edition  25  copies  wereprintedonjapanese  vellum  ;thisisNo.  1 2. 
"Poems  in  Prose"  was  published  in  the  "Fortnightly  Review,"  forjuly, 
1 894,  only  a  few  months  before  Wilde's  downfall.  Two  of  them,  how- 
ever,"The  House  of  Judgment"  and  "The  Disciple,"  had  previously 
appeared  in  "The  Spirit  Lamp  "  for  February  and  June,  1 893,  respec- 
tively. 

Wilde,  at  the  time  he  wrote  these  prose  works,  was  at  the  apogee  of  his 
career,intoxicated  with  success  and  seemingly  mentally  unbalanced  by 
reason  thereof,  his  egotism  had  grown  inordinately  so  much  so  indeed 

[27] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

that  no  subject  seemed  to  him  too  sacred  for  his  pen.  In  these  parables 
he  deliberately  chose  to  reach  almost  to  the  blasphemous.  Who  should 
say  him  nay— he,  the  master  of  prose,  the  "Lord  of  Language"? 
The  teachings  of  these  prose  poems  have  been  severely  condemned. 
No  mere  use  of  the  inverted  truth  in  paradoxes  for  the  purpose  of  at- 
tracting attention  to  one's  self  could  justify  the  preachings  in  these  al- 
legories. Even  Ingleby,  one  of  his  greatest  admirers  and  certainly  one 
of  the  ablest  of  his  literary  critics,  can  find  no  excuse  for  them.  He  calls 
them  "blasphemous"  and  "horrible  with  the  insane  pride  of  one  who 
has  not  realized  his  imminent  fall." 

The  title,"Poems  in  Prose,"  is  happily  chosen;  for  the  parables  are  in- 
deed veritable  prose  poems,  with  a  beauty  and  simplicity  of  expression 
inspired  no  doubt  by  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  They  have  in  them 
that  superlative  conversational  quality  that  is  preeminently  character- 
istic of  Wilde's  prose  writings.  He  is  said  to  have  recited  these  stories  to 
his  friends  on  social  occasions  in  orderto  amuse  or  to  astound  his  assem- 
bled admirers;  and  those  who  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  heard 
him  at  such  times  have  written  their  impressions  of  his  wonderful  gift 
of  conversing  and  of  how  the  beauty  of  his  voice  added  charm  to  his 
tales  so  that  in  recitation  they  must  have  appeared  more  beautiful  even 
than  in  the  printed  text. 

[WILDE,  Oscar.] 
To  ||  M.B.J. ||  [Hampstead:  John  Rodker,  1920.] 
Condition:  8°,  two  leaves  folded,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  9  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Title  as  above,one  leaf  (verso  note  by  Stuart  Mason,  dated 
May  25, 1 9  20);  Text,  one  leaf  (verso  blank). 
There  is  neither  pagination  nor  signature  marks. 
The  manuscript  of  thispoem  heretofore  unpublished, according  toMr. 
Mason  must  have  been  written  before  September  4, 1888. The  edition 
was  limited  to  65  numbered  copies  (including  15  on  Large  Paper)  of 
which  this  is  No.  4. 

[28] 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

t$e$%ffof£>0carTJ?te&e 


^L%^- 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

£0e  (J)tog*  of  ©ecar  TOfte 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
Vera ;  1 1  Or,The  Nihilists.  1 1 A  Drama  1 1  In  Four  Acts.  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar 
Wilde.||  London:  ||  Ranken  &  Co.,  Printers,  Drury  House, ||  St. 
Mary-Le-Strand,W.C.||  1880. 

Condition  :  8°,  gray  printed  wrappers.  Size  of  leaf,  7  %  by  4  %  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Cover-title  as  above  within  a  double  ruled  border,  above 
which  is  "[Strictly  Private.],"  printed  in  black  (verso  blank);  Title  as 
above,  [Ai]  (verso  a Dramatis  Personae"), pp.[i]-[2] ; Text,  Ai-[E2], 
ending  with  imprint,  in  eights,  pp. [3H2;  Back-cover  blank. 
Pages  4-51  have  the  running  head-lines  across  each  two  pages, "Vera; 
Or  The  Nihilists,"  with  the  number  of  the  act  in  each  inner  margin. 
On  the  cover  in  Wilde's  handwriting  is  the  following:  "from  the  au- 
thor, to  a  beautiful  poet,  a  sincere  republican,  and  a  charming  friend—" 
This  copy  is  not  interleaved.  It  is  a  small  acting  edition,  the  exact  num- 
ber of  copies  printed  being  unknown. 

Mason  in  his  bibliograpy  on  page  249  says  that  only  two  copies  of  this 
edition  are  known,  but  apparently  he  is  in  error.  The  Bruce  Ingram 
copy,  from  which  Mason  takes  his  description,  has  on  its  cover  an  in- 
scription in  Wilde's  handwriting;  so  has  this  copy.  There  was  a  copy 
sold  in  the  John  B.  Stetson  sale  (Anderson  sale  catalogue,  No.  1484, 
on  Friday,  April  23, 1 920), without  inscription  on  cover,  and  this  copy 
was  imperfect. 

[33] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

This  drama  was  written  in  1 88 1,  and  was  to  have  been  produced  at  a 
morning  performance  at  the  Adelphi  Theater,  London,  on  December 
1 7,with  Mrs.  Bernard  Beere  as  the  heroine ;  but  three  weeks  before  that 
date  it  was  announced  that  "considering  the  present  state  of  political 
feeling  in  England,  Mr.  Oscar  Wilde  has  decided  on  postponing,  for  a 
time,  the  production  of  his  drama  'Vera.' "  (The  World,  Nov. 30,1 8  8 1, 
p.  12.) 

Wilde  sailed  for  America  on  December  24, 188 1 , arriving  in  New  York 
earlyin  January,  1882.  Hetookwith  him  the  manuscriptofthis  play  and 
immediately  began  to  make  arrangements  withMissMariePrescottfor 
its  production.  I n  April,  1 8  83 ,  he  returned  to  England, remaining  there 
until  August  of  the  same  year,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  to  take 
charge  of  the  first  production  of  the  play. 

The  drama  was  not  a  success,  and  ran  for  only  one  week  at  the  Union 
Square  Theater,NewYork,  though  Miss  Prescott  subsequently  toured 
America  with  the  production,  but  with  indifferent  success. 

The  entire  history  of  this  drama  is  set  out  at  length  in  "  Mason's  Bib- 
liography of  Oscar  Wilde"  (1 9 14),  pages  249-28 1 . 

This  play  is  one  of  the  worst  of  Wilde's  productions,  despite  the  fact 
that  the  dialogue  evidences  some  spark  that  afterwards  made  its  author 
a  man  of  mark  in  the  theatrical  world. 

The  play  has  been  characterized  by  Ingleby  as  a  "Romantic  Drama," 
but  in  truth  it  cannot  be  placed  other  than  as  an  extreme  effort  in  melo- 
dramatic writing,and  will  add  no  lustre  to  Wilde's  name.That  the  play 
was  not  a  success,  other  than  it  was  badly  produced  and  miserably  acted, 
may  probably  be  traced  to  the  fact  that  when  it  was  written  in  1881, 
Wilde  was  not  adequately  equipped  and  sufficiently  in  touch  with  the 
technique  of  dramaturgy.  The  technique  of  the  drama  has  always  been 
the  "sine  qua  non"  of  all  dramatic  endeavors  and  Wilde  in  this  partic- 
ular period  of  his  writing  had  failed  to  master  it.  The  attempt  was  quite 
beyond  his  talent  as  developed  at  that  time  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
his  creative  powers  were  not  equal  to  the  writing  of  a  drama  of  this  char- 
acter. This  play  may  safely  be  classed  with  one  of  his  very  few  failures 
in  dramatic  literature. 

[34] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Anna, Countess  de  Bremont,in  herwork,"Oscar Wilde  and  HisMoth- 
er"(i9i  i ),  pages  37-40,  gives  a  vivid  account  of  her  impression  of  the 
first  performance  of  the  play  in  NewYork,which  is  of  considerable  in- 
terest in  as  much  as  she  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  presentation  and  has 
given  in  herwork  herown  characteristic  description  why  the  play  termi- 
nated in  a  failure  such  as  it  did. 
REFERENCEs:DeRicci,r^5o^Co//^/orVG«;^(i92i),p.630;Mason, 

Bibliography  of  Oscar ^/7^(i9i4)>PP-249-253>No-3°2- 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
Vera;  ||  Or,The  Nihilists. ||  A  Drama  ||  In  A  Prologue  And  Four 

Acts.||  By  ||  OscarWilde.||  1882. 

Condition  :  8°,gray  printed  wrappers,enclosed  in  a  dark  blue  crushed 
levant  morocco  case,  gilt,  gilt  back,  with  blue  watered-silk  doublures. 
The  C.  L.  F.  Robinson  copy  with  bookplate.  Size  of  leaf,  7  f£  by  4^ 
inches. 

Second  Edition. 

Collation  :  Cover-title  as  above  within  a  double  ruled  border  above 
which  is"  [Strictly  Private.],"  printed  in  black  (verso  blank) ;  Title  as 
above,[sig.ii](versoblank),pp.[i]-[2];"PersonsInThePrologue"and 
"  Perso ns  I n The  Play ,"  [sig.  1  z]  (verso  blank), pp. [3H4] ;"  Prologue," 
sig.i*,-[sig.i*4](versoblank),pp.[5]-[i2];Text,sig.2,-[sig.5*4](verso 
blank),in  duplicate  signatures  of  twos  and  fours,pp.[i3]-[6o]. 
Pages  6-1 1  have  the  head-line  "Prologue";  pages  14-59  have  the  run- 
ning head-lines  across  each  two  pages,"Vera;  ||  Or,The  Nihilists,"and 
the  number  of  the  act  on  each  inner  margin. 

On  page  1 7,the  first  letter  of  the  word  "Act"and  the  square  brackets  are 
dropped. 

The  book  is  interleaved  throughout  with  twenty-seven  leaves  of  white 
wove  paper  water-marked  "Arlington  Mills."  There  is  neither  print- 
er's nor  publisher's  name  given. 

Inthiseditiontheprologueisprintedforthefirsttimeandthetextshows 
many  variations  from  that  of  1 880.  It  was  printed  in  America,  where 
Wilde  was  lecturing  during  the  greater  part  of  1882. 

[35] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

The  pirated  edition  was  printed  from  this  edition. 

References  :~DeRicci,T/ie  Book  Collector  s  Guide  ( 1 92 1  ),p.6^o;  Mason, 

Bibliography  oj "Oscar -Wilde (19 1 4),pp. 253-2  8 1  ^0.303 ;  WidenerCata- 

/(?<g-«d,(Rosenbach)(i9i8),Vol.II,p.277. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
Vera ;  1 1  Or,The  Nihilists.  1 1 A  Drama  1 1  In  A  Prologue,  And  Four 
Acts.  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde.  1 1  Now  first  published.  1 1  Privately  Print- 
ed,||  1902. 

Condition:  8°,  gray  wrappers,  printed  in  blue,folded  over  a  stiff  card, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  5^  by  6^  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 

Collation:  Cover-title:  "Vera:  ||  Or,The  Nihilists. ||  A  Drama.||  By|| 
OscarWilde. ||  Privately Printed."(verso  blank) ; Half-title," Vera; Or, 
The  Nihilists,"  [A  1  ]  (verso  "Of  this  work,  200  copies  only  have  been 
printed, for  private  circulation. This  is  No.  1 1."),  pp.  [i]-[2]; Title  as 
above,[A2](verso"This  Play  was  written  in  1 8  8 1  ,and  is  now  published 
from  the  author's  own  copy,  showing  his  corrections  of  and  additions 
to  the  original  text."),pp.[3]-[4]  ;"Persons  InThe  Prologue"and"Per- 
sons  In  The  Play,"  [A3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [5]-[6] ;  "Prologue,"  [A4]- 
[A7], pp. [7]-i4; Text, [A8]-[E4], in  eights, pp. [1 5]~72 ; "Corrections 
And  Additions  Made  By  The  Author  In  His  Original  Copy,"  Fi- 
[F2]  (verso  blank), pp.  [73H76].  Sig.  E  is  four  leaves. 
This  edition  was  published  by  Leonard  Smithers.The  only  authorized 
imprint  of  the  play  is  Metheun's  edition,i  9o8,where  the  play  is  given  in 
the  volume  entitled  "  Salome.  A  Florentine  Tragedy. Vera.  London." 

Reference:  Mason,  Bi&Iiography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (191 4),pp-  SS  I~552> 
No.  624. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Op.II.||The||DuchessOfPadua:||ATragedyoftheXVICen- 
tury  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde,  1 1  Author  Of  "Vera,"  Etc.  ||  Written  in 
Paris  in  the  XIX  Ceutury.  (sic)  ||  Privately  Printed  As  Manu- 
script. [1883.] 

[36] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clarkjr. 

Condition:  8°,  new  gray  green  wrappers,'enclosed  in  dark  green  cloth 
folding  case,  lettered  in  gilt.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  5^  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation -.Title  as  above,in  black  and  red,one  leaf(verso  blank),pp. 

[i]-[2];"DramatisPersonae,"oneleaf(versoblank),pp.[3]-[4];"Scena- 

rio,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[5]-[6];"NoteOnThe  Length  Of  This 
Play,"signedaO.W.,"oneleaf(versoblank),pp.[7]-[8];Text,infive 

acts,  pp.  [o]-i22. 

There  are  no  signature  marks,or  running  head-lines.  At  the  end  of  the 
text  on  page  122  is  printed:  "The  end  of  the  "Duchess  OfPadua."|| 
Oscar  Wilde.  ||  March  1 5, 1 883,  A.  D." 

On  the  title-page  is  the  autographic  signature  of  OscarWilde.Twenty 
prompt  copies  were  printed  at  the  time  of  the  first  production  and  only 
four  are  now  known;  the  present  copy  being  that  formerly  owned  by 
Minna  K.Gale. 

When  Oscar  Wilde  was  living  in  Paris  at  the  Hotel  Voltaire  in  1 882, 
masquerading  in  the  fantastic  garbs  of  Balzac  and  aping  his  idiosyncra- 
sies,awaiting  some  inspiration  to  fire  his  mind  to  creative  work,is  it  not 
conceivable  that  there  fell  into  his  hands  WebsterVDutchesseofMal- 
fy"  ?  Always  impressionable  to  suggestion,  may  not  the  idea  be  carried 
further  thatWilde,  struck  by  the  title  of  Webster's  play,must  needs,in- 
deed,  himself  have  a  "Duchess,"  and  that  in  this  manner  "The  Duch- 
ess of  Padua"  was  conceived  and  born?  However,  that  may  be,  the  fact 
is  that  the  play  was  written  for  Mary  Anderson,  under  an  agreement 
that  if  accepted,Wilde  was  to  receive  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars. 
The  work  was  completed  in  March,  18 83,  and  submitted  to  the  cele- 
brated actress  who,  with  keen  foresight  as  to  its  unfitness  as  a  dramatic 
vehicle,  promptly  rejected  it  to  Wilde's  great  chagrin  and  secret  dis- 
comfiture. 

From  the  first,  Wilde  had  a  peculiar  penchant  for  the  stage,and  in  this 
connection  it  is  interesting  to  note,  that  some  ten  years  later  when  the 
play  was  produced,a  few  prompt  copies  of  the  manuscript  were  printed 
and  the  author  with  the  exuberance  ofa  novice  and  spurred  on  perhaps 
by  a  spirit  of  braggadocio  caused  to  be  printed  on  the  title-page"Op. 

[37] 


156962 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

II";  presumably  "Vera,"  produced  first  but  written  subsequently,  was 
"Op.  I."  Wilde  in  fact  never  ceased  planning  for  the  stage. 
The  play  was  read  for  copyright  purposes  in  March,  1 907,  by  an  ama- 
teur dramatic  society  connected  with  St. James's  Church,Hampstead 
Road. 

Its  first  production  was  anonymous  and  presented  to  the  public  under 
the  title  of"Guido  Ferranti,"atthe  BroadwayTheatre,New  York, Jan- 
uary 26, 1 891.  It  had  a  succes  d'estimeyb\it  held  the  boards  for  a  few 
weeks  only,  though  Lawrence  Barrett  and  Miss  Minna  K.  Gale  were 
cast  as  the  principals. 

Nor  had  the  play  any  success  when  produced  in  Hamburg  in  1904, 
though  it  must  be  confessed  that  in  that  city  it  was  presented  under  the 
most  difficult  and  trying  circumstances,which  perhaps  is  no  just  crite- 
rion as  to  what  success  it  might  have  had  under  more  favorable  condi- 
tions. But  again  when  revived  in  Berlin  in  1 906  under  more  favorable 
circumstances  it  was  promptly  killed  by  the  critics. 
A  young  American  actress  sought  to  revive  the  play  in  1905  but  ne- 
gotiations fell  through  not  owing  to  the  terms  of  production  which  Miss 
Gale,  who  held  the  rights,  exacted  and  which  in  truth  were  only  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  week,  but  for  other  reasons.  Estimation  as  to  its  worth  for 
public  production  may  thus  be  safely  conjectured. 

The  German  version  was  made  by  Dr.  Max  Meyerfeld  (Berlin,  1 904). 
An  unauthorized  English  prose  translation  from  the  German  has  been 
printed  in  Paris,  London,  or  in  America,  and  was  offered  for  sale  by  pi- 
ratical publishers  and  unscrupulous  booksellers  along  with  other  apoc- 
ryphal works  ascribed  to  Wilde. 

The  play  had  not  been  published  in  English  until  it  appeared  in  Meth- 
uen's  collected  edition  in  1 908.  Elkin  Mathews  and  John  Lane  in  1 894 
had  announced  its  publication  in  uniform  style  with  "  Lady  Winder- 
mere's Fan"  and  "A  Woman  Of  No  Importance,"  but  this  was  fore- 
stalled by  Wilde's  arrest  and  imprisonment. 

This  was  the  first  play  that  Wilde  wrote.  Sherard  calls  it  a"great  play," 
and  many  of  the  author's  admirers  have  placed  it  along  side  the  great 
Elizabethandramas.Thishyperboleisofcourseridiculous  and  deserves 

[38] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

but  contempt.The  influence  of  Victor  Hugo  and  of  Victorien  Sardou  is 
observable,and  the  author  misses  no  opportunity  to  use  Shakespeare's 
stage  effects  and  dramatic  conceits. 

The  most  that  can  be  said  of  the  work  is  that,  although  immature  and 
not  at  all  acceptable, it  shows  the  great  promise  which  Wilde  afterwards 
fulfilled.  It  is  a  study  rather  than  a  fully  evolved  romance  capable  of 
public  production ;  but  it  has  moments  of  great  poetic  imagination.  In 
short,  it  is  fine  as  literature  but  fails  miserably  as  a  play. 
References  :DeRicci,The  Book  Collector  s  Guide  (192 1 ),  p.  631;  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (191 4),  pp. 326-3  31, No. 312. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Salome  1 1  Drame  En  Un  Acte  1 1  [Printer's  device.]  | 
Paris  1 1  Librairie  De  L' Art  Independant  1 1 1 1 ,  Rue  De  La  Chaus- 
see-D'Antin,i  1  ||Londres||Elkin  Mathews  et  John  Lane||The 
Bodley-Head.Vigo-Street.||  1893  ||Tous  droits  reserves 

Condition:  8°, original  purple  wrappers, lettered  in  silver  on  front- 
cover,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,7  %  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation: Cover-title:  "Oscar Wilde ||  Salome||  [Printer's  device.]" 
(verso  blank);Two  blank  leaves ;  Half-title,"Salome,"sig.  1 1  (verso  im- 
print),pp.[i]-[2];Title  as  above, [sig.  1 2]  (verso  blank),pp.[3]-[4];  Dedi- 
cation,"A  mon  Ami  Pierre  Louys,"  [sig.  1 3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [5]-[6] ; 
" Personnes,"  [sig.  i4]  (verso  blank),pp.  [7]-[8] ;  Text, [sig.  1 5]-[sig.  6»], 
in  eights,  pp.  9-84;  "Acheve  D'Imprimer||le  6  fevrier  1 893 1|  Sur  Les 
Presses  De  Paul  Schmidt  ||  20,Rue  Du  Dragon,Paris  ||  [Printer's  de- 
vice.] ||  Pour  le  compte  de  la  ||  Librairie  De  L'Art  Independant  ||  1 1, 
Rue  De  La  Chaussee-D'Antin,  1 1 1|  Paris,"  [sig.  63]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[85]-[86];  Blank  leaf, [sig.  64]. 

The  device  on  the  cover,  title-page,  and  at  the  end  of  the  book  is  by 
Felicien  Rops. 

This  is  one  of  600  copies,500  of  which  were  for  sale.  Laid  in  is  a  signed 
autographic  letter  in  pencil  to  a  friend,  in  which  Wilde  writes  of  his 
play,  "Salome." 

[39] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

"  Salome  "was  written  in  1 8  9 1  in  the  French  language, but  was  not  pub- 
lished until  1 893.  Lord  Alfred  Douglas  translated  it  into  English,  a  no 
great  achievement  on  his  part  as  it  is  merely  a  word  for  word  transcrip- 
tion's literal, indeed,as  one  might  expect  from  a  schoolboy.  It  was  ac- 
cepted by  Mme.  Sarah  Bernhardt  for  production  at  the  PalaceTheatre, 
London, in  1892, and  full  rehearsals  were  in  progress. When  the  cen- 
sor refused  a  license  for  its  production,  Mme.  Bernhardt  then  took  the 
play  to  Paris,  promising  to  produce  it  at  her  own  theater  of  the  Porte 
St.Martin  at  the  very  first  opportunity,but  failed  of  her  promise.  Later, 
Wilde,while  a  prisoner  awaiting  trial  and  in  dire  need  of  money  for  his 
defense, offered  to  sell  her  the  play  outright  for  a  comparatively  insig- 
nificant sum ;  she  evidently  did  not  consider  that  the  investment  would 
be  remunerativeand  refused  the  offer.Herjudgment  was  bad,for  the  roy- 
alties that  have  been  earned  on  the  play  and  on  the  opera  have  amount- 
ed to  a  considerable  sum  annually. 

Wilde  was  very  indignant  at  the  refusal  of  a  license  for  the  performance 
of"Salome,"and  threatened  to  expatriate  himself  and  become  a  French 
citizen,which  threat  he  never  carried  out.The  Lord  Chamberlain's  of- 
ficer, however,  was  not  himself  to  blame  but  was  merely  carrying  out 
the  rule  against  allowing  any  play  dealing  with  a  Biblical  subject  to 
be  performed  on  an  English  stage;  he  had  no  choice  in  the  matter, the 
fault  lay  with  the  Puritanical  government  of  England.  Wilde, in  an  able 
interview  given  at  the  time,  attacks  the  philistine  view  and  attitude  of 
the  government.  He  points  out  logically  how  the  painter  and  the  sculp- 
tor are  allowed  to  take  their  subjects  wherever  they  choose. They  may 
go  "to  the  great  Hebrew  and  Hebrew-Greek  literature  of  the  Bible 
and  can  paint  Salome  dancing  or  Christ  on  the  Cross  or  the  Virgin  with 
her  Child.  Nobody  interferes  with  the  painter.  Nobody  says/ Painting 
is  such  a  vulgar  art  that  you  must  not  paint  sacred  things.' The  sculptor 
is  equally  free.  He  can  carve  St.John  the  Baptist  in  his  camel-hair  and 
fashion  the  Madonna  or  Christ  in  bronze  or  in  marble  as  he  wills.  .  .  . 
And  the  writer,  the  poet— he  also  is  quite  free.  ...  But  there  is  a  Censor- 
ship over  the  stage  and  acting;  and  the  basis  of  that  Censorship  is  that, 
while  vulgar  subjects  may  be  put  on  the  stage  and  acted,  while  every 
thing  that  is  mean  and  low  and  shameful  in  life  can  be  portrayed  by 

[40] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

actors,  no  actor  is  to  be  permitted  to  present  under  artistic  conditions 
the  great  and  ennobling  subjects  taken  from  the  Bible. The  insult  in  the 
suppression  of  Salome  is  an  insult  to  the  stage  as  a  form  of  art  and  not 
to  me." 

"Salome"  was  first  performed  by  the  Theatre  de  L'Oeuvre,  Paris,  in 
1 896,  while  the  author  was  still  in  prison.  Bernhardt  did  not  appear  in 
it,but  Monsieur  Lugne-Poe  and  Lina  Munte  were  cast  respectively  as 
Herod  and  as  Salome.  Private  performances  were  given  in  England 
by  the  New  Stage  Club,  in  1905,  and  by  the  Literary  Theatre  Club  in 
1 906;  in  the  latter  production  the  stage  setting  was  designed  byMr.C.S. 
Ricketts,  a  personal  friend  of  Wilde's  who  was  able  to  thoroughly  grasp 
the  spirit  of  the  author's  ideals  with  regard  to  this  romantic  drama. 

The  play,  however,  never  received  a  truly  artistic  setting  until  it  was 
produced  as  an  opera  in  Dresden  in  1905.  The  music  was  composed 
by  Richard  Strauss,and  the  libretto, an  incomplete  text  of  the  play, was 
written  for  the  score  by  Madame  Hedwig  Lachmann. 

James  Huneker,  in  his  "Unicorns"  (19 17),  says:" It  is  safe  to  say  the 
piece— which  limps  dramatically— would  never  have  been  seriously  con- 
sidered if  not  for  the  Richard  Strauss  musical  setting."  How  erroneous 
this  is  maybe  inferred  fromMr.Ross's  answer  to  those  critics  who  spoke 
of  the  play  as  having  been  "dragged  from  obscurity"  when  it  was  pro- 
duced in  England  in  1 905.  He  says  : "  In  1 901 ,  within  a  year  of  the  au- 
thor's death,  it  was  produced  in  Berlin;  from  that  moment  it  held  the 
European  stage.  It  has  run  for  a  longer  consecutive  period  in  Germany 
than  any  play  by  any  Englishman,  not  exceptingShakespeare.  Its  popu- 
larity has  extended  to  all  countries  where  it  is  not  prohibited.  It  is  per- 
formed throughout  Europe,  Asia  and  America.  It  is  even  played  in 
Yiddish."  It  is  a  safe  prediction  that  long  after  Strauss's  score  is  rele- 
gated to  the  limbo  of  the  forgotten,  Wilde's  play  will  continue  to  en- 
thrall and  captivate  audiences  of  all  nationalities. 

Although  Wilde  did  not  write  "Salome"  for  Sarah  Bernhardt  and  of- 
fered it  to  her  only  when  she  had  asked  him  why  he  had  not  written  a 
play  for  her,it  is  not  drawing  too  much  on  one's  imagination  to  conjec- 
ture that  he  had  had  her  in  mind  from  the  first,  else  why  did  he  write 

[41] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

the  play  in  the  French  language  ?  Knowing  well  Wilde's  love  of  the  foot- 
lights and  his  predilection  for  public  applause,  it  is  inconceivable  that 
he  did  not  intend  the  play  for  production,  and  who  but  the  divine  Sarah 
could  have  satisfied  him  in  the  role  of  Salome  ?  The  difficulty  of  the 
part,as  exampled  in  the  final  speech  of  Salome  alone,is  one  such  as  de- 
mands the  talents  of  a  consummate  actress,  and  Bernhardt  was  then  in 
the  enjoyment  of  her  maturest  powers  as  an  actress  and  unapproach- 
able by  any  other  artist  of  her  time.Wilde,in  the  interview  heretofore 
mentioned, said:  "The  pleasure  and  pride  I  have  experienced  in  the 
whole  affair  has  been  that  Madame  Sarah  Bernhardt,  who  is  undoubt- 
edly the  greatest  artist  on  any  stage,  should  have  been  charmed  and  fas- 
cinated by  my  play  and  should  have  wished  to  act  it. 

"Every  rehearsal  has  been  a  source  of  intense  pleasure  to  me.  To  hear 
my  own  words  spoken  by  the  most  beautiful  voice  in  the  world  has  been 
the  greatest  artistic  joy  that  it  is  possible  to  experience." 

The  play  is  based  on  the  story  of  Herodias'  daughter  dancing  before 
Herod  for  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.  An  account  of  the  episode  is 
to  be  found  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark  and  in  St. 
Matthew  (xiv.  6);  both  accounts  are  extremely  terse.  Dean  Farrar,  in 
his  "Life  of  Christ,"  reconstructs  and  amplifies  the  scene  and  it  is  of 
intense  interest  to  the  student. 

Wilde  took  nothing  but  the  characters,  the  dancing,  and  the  incident  of 
John  the  Baptist's  head  being  brought  to  Salome  on  a  charger.  All  else 
is  changed  and  bears  no  relation  to  the  Biblical  story. The  author  takes 
a  justifiable  poetic  license  in  that  the  fate  meted  out  in  the  Scripture  to 
Herodias  is  made  to  fall  upon  Salome  instead.  Here  it  is  Salome  and 
not  Herodias  who  demands  the  head  of  the  prophet  in  revenge  for  hav- 
ing spurned  her  advances ;  if  not  in  life  then  in  death  she  would  possess 
him. 

1 1  is  interesting  to  contrast  the  strong  and  simple  Scriptural  description 
with  Wilde's  decorative  and  colorful  language.  Here,as  in  the"Sphinx," 
we  observe  the  author's  genius  in  the  use  of  sensuous  expressions  en- 
riched by  the  employment  of  jeweled  words  evidencing  his  love  of  ori- 
ental color. 

[42] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

It  is  doubtful  if  Wilde  would  have  succeeded  in  producing  the  effect 
he  did  if  the  play  had  been  first  written  in  the  English  language.  His 
French  is  limited  in  its  scope  and  the  idiom  is  not  that  which  would 
have  been  employed  by  a  French  writer.The  sentences  are  short  and 
simple  such  as  French  children  might  use  in  writing  compositions  at 
school.  Marcel  Schwob,  who  reviewed  the  play  and  made  a  few  slight 
alterations,did  not  attempt  to  harmonize  the  diction  with  that  demand- 
ed by  the  French  Academy.  To  have  done  so  would  have  been  to  de- 
stroy the  spontaneity  of  Wilde's  language.Rittemadesomesuggestions 
of  emendation  which  were,  however,  not  accepted  by  Wilde,  and  the 
latter  finally  passed  it  on  to  Pierre  Louys  to  whom  the  play  is  dedicated 
for  final  revision.  But  it  is  just  this  simplicity  of  language  that  makes 
such  a  telling  effect.  Maeterlinck,  a  Flammand  by  race,  also  wrote  in  an 
alien  tongue  and  employed  just  such  simplicity  of  language  in  "Les 
SeptPrincesses."  In  fact  Maeterlinck's  influence  is  felt  in  the  construc- 
tion and  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  play;  Flaubert's  also  in  the  exquis- 
ite imagery  of  the  dialogue.  A  complete  portrait  is  delineated  in  a  few 
words,  or  at  most  in  a  few  sentences.  Constant  reiteration  of  phrases, 
which  ordinarily  would  have  become  tiresome,but  under  Wilde's  skil- 
ful handling  enhance  the  value  of  the  successive  scenes  and  carry  the 
play  along  smoothly  from  one  incident  to  another,are  ingeniously  em- 
ployed throughout  the  text.The  cumulative  effect  of  these  repetitions 
is  prodigious  in  achieving  the  results  that  Wilde  intended.  Such  reit- 
erations Max  Nordau,in  his  " Degeneration"  (1895), has  construed  as 
evidence  of  incurable  cretinism;  that  maybe  so  in  most  cases  but  here 
they  are  employed  by  Wilde  purposely  as  motifs  introductory  to  the 
successive  scenes. 

The  play  might  well  have  been  called  "The  Drama  of  the  Moon,"  so 
often  is  that  satellite  invoked  and  into  so  many  moods  is  her  appearance 
translated.  Each  actor's  impressions  and  emotions  are  reflected  in  her 
and  by  the  various  interpretations  of  her  appearance  is  the  progress  of 
the  play  recorded. 

Ingleby  says  :"  The  play  has  been  assailed  as  immoral  but  this  is  not 
so.  The  setting  of  an  Eastern  drama  is  not  that  of  a  Western,  and  the 
morals  and  customs  of  the  East  are  no  more  to  be  judged  by  a  West- 

[43] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

ern  standard  than  the  Court  of  Herod  to  be  compared  with  that  of 
Edward  VII." 

The  incidents  treated  in  the  play  are  essentially  sensual  in  their  nature, 
but  Wilde, with  consummate  art,  has  so  treated  the  theme  that  none 
but  those  who  are  seeking  the  suggestive  can  reasonably  take  objec- 
tion. Acted  badly, with  an  appeal  to  the  baser  feelings,  it  may,  as  any 
work  can,  be  debased  to  a  degree  of  degradation  that  should  justly  re- 
ceive the  denunciation  of  the  public.The  play  may  be  unmoral  or  non- 
moral;  it  cannot  be  said  to  be  immoral  in  any  sense  of  the  word. 
Perhaps,  as  has  been  suggested,  the  Beardsley  illustrations  have  had 
much  to  do  with  the  prejudices  against  the  play.  Many  of  the  illustra- 
tions are  in  no  wise  descriptive  of  the  text.  Beardsley,at  the  time  he  drew 
these  pictures  for  the  first  English  edition  of  the  play  in  1 894,  was  not 
on  friendly  terms  with  Wilde,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  caricature  him 
in  the  illustrations.  The  pictures  are  grotesque  and  fantastic.  Sugges- 
tiveness  appears  in  them  all,in  the  voluptuous  forms  of  the  women,in 
the  diabolical  representation  of  satyrs  with  lecherous  and  leering  faces, 
all  repellant  and  offensive  to  good  taste,  but  cleverly  executed. 
"  Salome"  is  a  great  picture,  an  extraordinary  work  of  art.  It  is  excep- 
tional as  a  drama,  but  as  mere  literature  it  will  find  its  place  among  the 
classics. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp. 369-370, 
N0.348. 

WILDE,  Oscar.  [DOUGLAS,  Alfred,  Lord, Translator.] 
Salome  ||  A  Tragedy  In  One  ||  Act:  Translated  ||  From  The 
French  ||  Of  Oscar  Wilde:  ||  Pictured  By  ||  Aubrey  Beardsley  || 
London:  Elkin  Mathews  ||  &  John  Lane  ||  Boston:  Copeland 
&  Day  ||  1894 

Condition  :  Small  40,  blue  buckram  boards,  gilt  ornaments  impressed 
on  sides,  gilt  back,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  */£  by  6  inches. 
First  English  Edition,  first  issue. 

CoLLATiON:Preliminary  blank  leaf;Half-title,aSalome,"one  leaf  (verso 
"Of  this  edition  500  copies  have  been  printed  for  England"); Title  as 

[4+] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark, Jr. 

above  within  border  design  by  Beardsley,one  leaf  (verso  imprint)  ;Ded- 
ication,"To  My  Friend  Lord  Alfred  Bruce  Douglas  The  Translator 
Of  My  Play,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);"The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  one 
leaf  (verso  blank);"  List  Of  The  Pictures,"  within  border  design  by 
Beardsley,  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Text,  Ai-[l2J  (verso  imprint),  in 
fours,pp.[i]-[68];"ListofBooksinBellesLettresi894,"[sig.iI]-[sig.24] 
(verso  printer's  device  and  imprint), pp. [i]-[i  6] ;  Sig.I  is  misprinted  E. 

There  are  ten  full-page  plates  printed  on  glazed  paper  from  line  blocks, 
engraved  by  C[arl]  H  [entschel]  from  designs  by  Aubrey  Beardsley,the 
frontispiece  being  protected  by  tissue-guard.  The  elaborate  borders  on 
the  title-page  and  on  the  page  containing  the  list  of  pictures  are  also 
engraved  by  Hentschel  from  designs  by  Beardsley  whose  designs  are 
on  the  covers. 

Plates  Nos.  i,  4,  5,  and  6  contain  caricatures  of  Wilde. 

Accompanying  this  volume  is  a  portfolio  containing  seventeen  plates 
first  designed  by  Beardsley  for  "  Salome,"  six  of  which  were  rejected  for 
the  first  edition  but  were  finally  issued  with  the  edition  of  1 904  (Mel- 
moth).  The  plates  are  in  a  portfolio  of  gray  boards,  vellum  back  and  cor- 
ners, with  design  and  lettering  in  gold  on  front-cover,  green  silk  ties. 
Folio. 

References:  DeR'icci,The  Book  Collector  s  Guide  (1921)^.632;  Hoe 
Catalogue  (1905),  Vol.  II,  p.  204;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde 
( 1 9 14),  pp.  378-3 8 1 ,  No.  3 50 ;  John  Henry  Wrenn  Library  Catalogue 
(i92o),Vol.V,p.i38. 

WILDE,  Oscar.  [DOUGLAS,  Alfred,  Lord,  Translator^ 
Salome  ||  A  Tragedy  In  One  ||  Act:  Translated  ||  From  The 
French  ||  Of  Oscar  Wilde:  ||  Pictured  By  ||  Aubrey  Beardsley  || 
London:  Elkin  Mathews ||&  John  Lane || Boston:  Copeland  & 
Day  ||  1894 

Condition: Small  4°,green  silk  boards, gilt, with  lettering  and  designs 
as  in  the  first  issue,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8fs  by  6x/2  inches. 
First  English  Edition,  second  issue. 

[+5] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Collation  :  Description  agrees  in  every  respect  with  the  first  issue  ex- 
cept that  the  verso  of  the  half-title  reads :"  Of  this  edition  ioo  copies 
have  been  printed  for  England."  Signature  I  is  corrected  in  this  edition. 
The  illustrations  are  on  Japanese  vellum. 

References:  Hoe  Catalogue  (1905), Vol. III,p. 204;  Mason, Bibliog- 
raphy of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914),  pp-3  80-3  8  2,  No.  351. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Salome  ||  A  Tragedy  In  One  ||  Act :  Translated  ||  From  The 

French  ||  Of  Oscar  Wilde:  ||  Pictured  By  ||  Aubrey  Beardsley  || 

San  Francisco :  ||  The  Paper  Covered  ||  Book  Store  ||  1 896 

Condition:  1 2°, white  glazed  pictorial  wrappers, wired,uncut.  Size  of 

leaf,  6  by  4^  inches. 

Collation:  Cover-title  as  above  within  a  decorative  border,  one  leaf 

(verso  blank);  Half-title,  "Salome,"  one  leaf  (verso  "The  Persons  Of 

The  Play"),pp.[i]-[2];Text,pp.[3]-7i;  Advertisement  and  imprint, 

p.  [72] ;  Design,  back-cover  (verso)  (recto  blank). 

There  are  ten  full-page  illustrations,a  pictorial  list  of  the  pictures,  and 

one  illustration  each  on  back-  and  front-cover, all  byAubreyBeardsley. 

This  edition,  the  first  to  be  issued  in  San  Francisco,  was  published  by 
Warren  E.  Price.  He  went  to  New  York  in  1 901,  and  it  is  of  curious 
interest  to  note  that  his  successor  in  business  was  one  Robert  Ross. 

WILDE,  Oscar.  [DOUGLAS,  Alfred,  Lord  translator  \ 
Salome  ||  A  Tragedy  In  One  Act:  ||  Translated  From  The  || 
French  Of  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Pictured  By  1 1  Aubrey  Beardsley  1 1  Lon- 
don ||  Melmoth  &  Co.  ||  1 904 

Condition:  8°,blue linen boards,gilt back, uncut.TheWalterThomas 
Wallace  copy  with  bookplate.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ^  by  6^  inches. 
Pirated  Edition,  first  issue. 

Collation:  Half-title,  "Salome,"  [sig.  ii]  (verso  "Of  this  Work  250 
copies  have  been  printed  on  handmade  paper,  of  which  this  is  No.  17 
There  is  also  an  Edition  on  Japanese  vellum  limited  to  50  copies,each 

[+6] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

numbered."),  pp.  [i]-[2];Title  as  above, within  ornamental  borders  by 
Beardsley,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3H4] ;"  List  Of  The  Pictures," 
within  ornamental  borders  by  Beardsley,one  leaf  (verso  blank), pp.  [5]- 
[6] ;  Cover-design,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [7]-[8] ; "  The  Persons  Of 
The  Play,"  [sig.  ij  (verso  blank),  pp.  [9]-[io] ;  Text,  [sig.  i3]-[sig.  53] 
(verso  blank), in  eights, pp.  1 1-[76];  Blank  leaf. 

There  are  sixteen  full-page  plates,  printed  on  glazed  paper,  of  Beards- 
ley's  original  illustrations,  the  list  of  which  is  given  on  the  second  plate. 
These  are  reproduced  from  the  1894  edition  except  Nos.  1,7, and  13, 
which  are  taken  from  the  early  works  of  Aubrey  Beardsley,  1 899,  and 
are  included  in  the  edition  of"Salome"published  by  John  Lane  in  1 907. 
These  drawings  were  prepared  for  the  1 894  edition  but  were  cancelled. 

Reference:  ~Ma.son,BibIiography  ofOscarWilde  (1 9  i4),p.547,No.6 1 5. 

WILDE,  Oscar.  [DOUGLAS,  Alfred,  Lord,  Translator^ 
Salome  ||  A  Tragedy  In  One  Act:  ||  Translated  From  The  || 
French  OfOscarWilde  ||  Pictured  By  ||  Aubrey  Beardsley  || 
London  ||  Melmoth  &  Co.  ||  1904 

Condition:  8°, blue  buckram  boards, lettered  in  gilt  on  back, uncut. 
Size  of  leaf,  9  by  7^  inches. 
Pirated  Edition,  second  issue. 

Collation:  Description  agrees  with  the  preceding  copy  except  that 
this  is  the  edition  of  50  copies  on  Japanese  vellum  and  is  No.  14,  as 
stated  on  the  verso  of  the  half-title. 

Reference:  Mason, Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  547- 548, 
N0.616. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Salome  1 1  ATragedy  In  One  Act :  Trans-|  |  lated  FromThe  French 
Of  1 1  Oscar  Wilde,  With  Sixteen  ||  Drawings  By  Aubrey  Beards- 
ley ||  London:  John  Lane, The  Bodley  Head || New  York:  John 
Lane  Company,  M CM VI I 
Condition:  8°,  original  light  green  cloth, with  a  design  by  Beardsley 

[47] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

stamped  in  gilt  on  front-cover,  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,  gilt  top,uncut. 
Size  of  leaf,  8j4  by  6^  inches. 

Collation:  Two  preliminary  blank  leaves,  [Ai]-[A2], pp.  [i]-[iv]; 
Half-title, "Salome,"  [A3]  (verso  blank), pp. [v]-[vi]; Title  as  above 
within  an  elaborate  border  on  Japanese  vellum,one  leaf  inserted  (verso 
blank),  pp.  [vii]-[viii] ;  Reproduction  of  cover  design  on  Japanese  vel- 
lum, one  leaf  inserted,  pp.  [ix]-[x];"  The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [A4] 
(verso  blank),  pp.  [xi]-[xii] ; "  A  Note  On*  Salome,'"  by  Robert  Ross, 
[A5]-[A7],pp.xiii-xviii;"List  Of  The  Pictures  By  Aubrey  Beards- 
ley,"on  Japanese  vellum, one  leaf  inserted  (verso  blank),pp.[xix]-[xx] ; 
Half-title,"  Salome,"  [A8]  (verso  blank),pp.[xxi]-[xxii];  Text,  Bi-F  1, 
ineights,pp.i-[66];  Advertisements,[F2],pp.[67]-[68]. 
There  are  sixteen  full-page  plates,  including  frontispiece,  title-page, 
cover  design,  and  list  of  pictures  as  called  for  in  the  list  of  illustrations, 
all  printed  on  Japanese  vellum  from  new  plates. 
The  imprint  mentioned  by  Mason  in  his  bibliography  does  not  appear 
in  this  copy. 

Inserted  between  page  xxii  and  the  first  page  of  the  text  are  two  leaves ; 
on  the  recto  of  the  first  leaf  is  the  cast  of  the  first  production  in  En- 
gland by  the  New  Stage  Club,  May  10  and  13,1905;  on  the  verso  and 
the  recto  of  the  next  leaf  is  a  facsimile  of  the  play-bill  of  the  original 
production  of  the  opera, "  Salome,"  by  Richard  Strauss,  at  the  Konig- 
liches  Opernhaus,Dresden, December  9,1 905;  the  verso  of  the  second 
leaf  is  blank. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp.382-384, 
N0.355. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Salome  1 1 A  Tragedy  In  One  Act  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Drawings 
By  ||  Aubrey  Beardsley  ||John  W.  Luce  &  Company  ||  Boston  || 
1907 

Condition  :  8°,  black  cloth  boards,  design  and  lettering  impressed  in 
gilt  on  front-cover,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  5*^  inches. 
Collation  :Title  as  above  within  ornamental  border  by  Beardsley,one 

[48] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

leaf  (verso  blank);  List  of  drawings  within  ornamental  borders, one  leaf 
(verso  blank);"PersonsOfThePlay,"one  leaf  (verso  blank)  ;Text,pp. 
1-36. There  are  no  signature  marks. 

The  title-page  and  twelve  other  full-page  drawings  by  Aubrey  Beards- 
ley,  as  called  for  in  the  list  of  drawings,  are  on  Japanese  vellum  and  in- 
serted. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

LadyWindermere'sFan||APlay||AboutAGoodWoman||By|| 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  London  ||  Elkin  Mathews  And  John  Lane  At  || 
The  Sign  Of  The  Bodley  Head  InVigo||StreetMDCCCXCIII 

CoNDiTiON:Small  4°,lilac  linen  boards,gilt  ornaments  by  Charles  Shan- 
non impressed  on  sides,  title  and  imprint  lettered  in  two  lines  in  gilt, 
respectively  at  top  and  foot, with  four  small  florets, uncut.  Size  of  leaf, 
%y±  by  6  inches. 
First  EDiTioN,first  issue. 

Collation: Blank leaf,[ai] ;Title  as  above, [a2] (verso imprint); Dedi- 
cation,"ToThe  Dear  Memory  Of  Robert  Earl  Of  Lytton,"  [&$]  (verso 
copyright  notice);"ThePersons  Of  ThePlay,"  [a4]  (verso  blank);"The 
Scenes  Of  The  Play,"  b  1  (verso  blank);  Cast  of  the  first  production,  [hi] 
(versoblank);Half-title,"  Lady  Windermere's  Fan,"[b3](verso  blank); 
Half-title, "First Act,"[b4] (verso  blank);Text,Ai-Ei,pp.  1-34; Half- 
title,"SecondAct,"[E2](versoblank),pp.[35]-[36];Text,[E3]-[l3],pp. 
37-7o;Half-title,"ThirdAct,"[l4](versoblank),pp.[7i]-[72];Text, 
Ki-[N3]  (verso  blank), pp. 73-[io2];  Half-title," Fourth  Act,"[N4] 
(verso  blank),pp.[i03]-[i04];Text,Oi-[R2],pp.  105-132;  "List  of 
Books  in  Belles  Lettres,  i893,"[R3]-[T2](verso  printer's  device  and 
imprint), in  fours, pp.  [i]-[i6]. 

The  date  of  the  first  publication  of  this  play  was  Feb.  9, 1 893  (500  cop- 
ies). The  date  of  the  first  production  was  Feb.  20, 1892,  and  not  Feb. 
22, as  stated  on  the  page  containing  the  cast  of  the  original  production, 
sig.  b2. 

Robert,first  Earl  of  Ly  tton,to  whom  the  play  was  dedicated,  died  Nov. 
24,1891. 

[49] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Wilde,before  the  appearance  of  this  play  on  the  boards,had  had  very  lit- 
tle if  any  success  financially. He  had  married  a  woman  with  an  indepen- 
dent fortune  and  but  for  her  wealth  he  would  have  had  great  difficulty 
in  maintaining  himself  in  the  social  set  in  which  he  moved. 
He  had  long  been  in  the  public  eye,  due  mostly  to  his  eccentricities  of 
dress,  to  his  brilliant  conversational  gifts,  and  to  his  more  or  less  sincere 
posing  in  matters  of  various  kinds.  Of  course  he  had  made  many  ene- 
mies who,inspired  byjealousy  and  by  envy, declared  that  he  had  no  tal- 
ent of  any  kind,that  the  public  was  tired  of  him  and  would  have  none 
of  him. 

But  with  the  production  of  "Lady  Windermere's  Fan"  there  came  a 
great  change  for  the  better. 

Ransome,in  his"Critical  Study  of  Oscar  Wilde,"  says:"Of  all  the  arts 
that  of  the  drama  is  most  likely  to  attract  the  talker  for  talk's  sake." 
And  so  it  was  in  Wilde's  case.  Himself  a  wonderful  talker,  he  found  in 
the  drama  his  proper  milieu.The  plot  of  the  play  is  hackneyed  and  worn, 
but  it  was  the  wit  and  the  clever  epigrams  written  into  the  dialogue  that 
spelled  success.  It  was  like  listening  to  Wilde  himself  conversing.  He 
received  an  ovation  after  the  first  performance  and, despite  the  critics, 
conquered  the  London  public  and  gave  it  something  entirely  new  and 
original. 

The  critics,  however,  attacked  him  on  all  sides.  Clement  Scott  in  the 
"Daily Telegraph,"  "Truth,"  "Punch,"  and  other  papers  assailed  his 
work  unmercifully.  It  was  said  among  other  things  that  he  stopped  the 
development  of  the  plot,while  his  puppets  in  the  play  indulged  in  witti- 
cisms, epigrams,  and  repartee.  Even  Mr.  Ransome  admits  that  "most 
of  his  witty  sayings  would  bear  transplanting  from  one  play  to  another." 
But  when  necessity  for  dramatic  action  was  apparent,  the  situation  was 
handled  most  skilfully  by  the  dramatist. 

During  the  next  three  years  he  produced  successfully  three  otherplays. 
References:  DeRicciyT/ie  Book  Collector's  Guide  (ig2i),p.63 1\  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  ( 1 9 1 4),  pp. 3  84-3  8  6,  No. 3  5  7. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Lady  Windermere's  Fan  ||  A  Play  ||  About  A  Good  Woman  || 

[50] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  London  ||  Elkin  Mathews  And  John  Lane 
At  ||  The  Sign  Of  The  Bodley  Head  In  Vigo  ||  Street  MDCCC- 

XCIII 

Condition:  Small  4°,yellow buckram  boards,designs  by  Charles  Shan- 
non impressed  in  gilt  on  sides,  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,  uncut.  Size  of 
leaf,  8^  by  6^  inches. 
First  Edition,  second  issue. 

Collation:  The  description  agrees  with  the  first  issue  except  that  the 
verso  of  the  first  leaf  reads:  "Of  this  edition  fifty  copies  have  been 
printed." 

References:  Hoe  Catalogue  (iQ05),Vol.III,p.203 ;  Mason, Bibliogra- 
phy of  Oscar  Wilde  ( 1 9 1 4),  p.  3  8  7,  No.  3  5  8 ;  John  Henry  Wrenn  Library 
Catalogue  (1  a2o),Vol.V,  p.  13 8. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Lady  Windermere's  Fan  ||  A  Play  ||  About  A  Good  Woman  || 
By  II  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Paris.  ||  1903. 

Condition :  Small  4°,maroon  linen  boards,  gilt  lettering  on  back.  Size 
of  leaf,  7  %  by  5^  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title, «  Lady  Windermere's  Fan,"  [ai]  (verso  "  Edi- 
tion limited  to  250  copies.This  is  No....");  Title  as  above, [aa] (verso 
blank);  Dedication  to  Robert  Earl  of  Lytton,[a3]  (verso  blank);  "The 
Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [a4]  (verso  blank)  ;"The  Scenes  Of  The  Play," 
b  1  (verso  blank);  Cast  of  the  first  production,[b2](verso  blank) ;  Second 
half-title,  [b3](verso  blank);  Half-title," First  Act,"  [b4]  (verso  blank); 
Text, B 1 -F 1, pp.  1-34;  Half-title, "Second  Act,"  [F2]  (verso  blank), 
PP.[35H36];Text,[F3]-[K3],pp.37-7o;Half-title,"ThirdAct,"[K4], 
pp.[7i]-[72];Text,Li-[03](verso  blank), pp-73-[i02];  Half-title, 
"Fourth  Act,"  [O4]  (verso blank), pp.[i03]-[i04];Text,Pi-[S2], in 

fours,  pp.  105-132. 

The  lettering  on  the  back  of  the  present  copy  does  not  agree  with  that 

described  in  Mason's  bibliography, page  539,No.  597,although  the 

[5i] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

description  in  every  other  respect  is  the  same.  It  is  apparent  that  either 
the  volume  has  been  rebound  and  trimmed,  or  that  the  entire  edition 
was  not  uniformly  bound.  "Lady  Windermere's  Fan"only  is  printed 
on  the  back,  whereas  the  copy  collated  in  Mason  reads  "  Lady  Wind- 
ermere's Fan"  at  the  top,"  Oscar  Wilde"  in  the  middle,  and  "  1 903  "  at 
the  foot. 

Though  dated  Paris,  1903,  on  the  title-page,  this  volume  was  printed 
in  England,  and  published  by  Leonard  Smithers.  Smithers,  in  1899, 
announced  the  appearance  of  a  new  edition  of  "Lady  Windermere's 
Fan,"  but  Wilde's  death  in  the  following  year,  and  probably  Smithers' 
bankruptcy, prevented  its  publication ;  but  this  is  doubtless  the  edition 
referred  to  in  the  announcement. 

In  July,  1 905, "Wright  and  Jones,"  booksellers,  3 50  Fulham  Road, 
S.W.,were  enjoined  from  selling  this  pirated  edition. 

Reference:  Mason, Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp. 539-540, 

No.  597. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

Lady  Windermere's  Fan.  1 1 A  Play  1 1  In  1 1  Four  Acts,  1 1  By  1 1  Oscar 
Wilde.||All  Rights  Reserved.] | Copyright,  1 893,ByOscarWilde. 

Condition:  8°,  original  toned  wrappers, printed  in  red,  all  edges  cut. 
Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  4^  inches. 

Acting  Edition. 

Collation:  Cover-title :"  Lady  Windermere's  Fan.||  A  Play||In||  Four 
Acts,|  I  By  J I  Oscar  Wilde.|  I  All  Rights  Reserved,"printed  in  red  with  type 
ornaments  at  head  of  page  and  under  the  words  "  Oscar  Wilde"  (verso 
blank);Titleasabove,oneleaf(verso"DramatisPersonae,"etc.);Half- 
title,"  Lady  Windermere's  Fan.  Act  I,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text, 
six  leaves,pp.  [i]-i  2 ;  Half-title,"  Act  1 1,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text, 
six  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank), pp. [i]-[i2];  Half-title,"Act  III," 
one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  five  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp. 
[  1  ]-[  10];  Half-title,  "Act  IV,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  five  leaves 
(verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp.  [i]-[io];  Blank  leaf  at  end;  Back-cover 
blank.  There  are  no  signature  marks. 

[S»] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

This  acting  edition  was  probably  prepared  for  the  production  of  "Lady 
Windermere's  Fan," at  Palmer'sTheater,NewYork,in  February,  1893. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9I4))PP-388-392> 
N0.360. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

A  ||  Woman  Of  No  Importance  ||  By||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  London  || 
Elkin  Mathews  And  John  Lane  At||The  Sign  Of  The  Bodley 
Head  In  Vigo  ||  Street  MDCCCXGIV 

Condition:  Small  4°,pink  boards,vellum  back  lettered  in  gold,uncut. 
The  John  B.Stetson  Jr.,copy  with  library  label.  Size  of  leaf,7^  by  5^ 
inches. 

The  Proof  Copy. 

Collation:  Preliminary  blank  leaf,[ai];Title  as  above,[a2]  (verso  im- 
print) ;  Dedication,"To  Gladys  Countess  De  Grey,"  [33]  (verso  blank) ; 
"The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [a4]  (verso  blank);  "The  Scenes  Of  The 
Play,"  b  1  (verso  blank) ;  Cast  of  the  first  production,[b2]  (verso  blank) ; 
Half-title,  "A  Woman  Of  No  Importance,"  [03]  (verso  blank);  Half- 
title," First  Act,"  [b4]  (verso  blank);  Text,  Ai-[E4]  (verso  blank), pp. 
i-[4o];Half-title,"SecondAct,"[Fi](versoblank),pp.[4i]-[42];Text, 
[F2]-[L2],pp.43-84;  Half-title, "Third  Act,"  [L3]  (verso  blank),pp. 
[85H86] ;  Text,  [L4]-[P3],pp.  87-1 1 8 ;  Half-title,"  Fourth  Act,"  [P4] 
(verso  blank), pp. [ii9]-[i2o]; Text, Q1-U1, in  fours, pp.  121-154.; 
Blank  leaf,  [U2],  one  leaf  without  pagination ;  "  List  of  Books  in  Belles 
Lettres, London:  Elkin  Mathews, Vigo  Street,W.  1895,"  [U3HY4]> 
pp.[i]-20. 

Laid  in  this  volume  is  the  following  letter  written  on  Mathews'  station- 
ery: "Cork  Street  London,W.Feb  1 1  19H  Dear  Mr.Haslam  I  here- 
with return  the  twoWildes(i)  A  Woman  of  No  Importance  (2)  Ditto- 
the  proof  copy  If  you  could  see  your  way  to  letting  me  buy  back  the 
latter  I  should  be  very  much  obliged  Yours  truly  Elkin  Mathews." 
This  is  the  proof-copy  of  the  earliest  issue  of  the  first  edition,  printed 
before  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Elkin  Mathews  and  John  Lane 

[53] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

which  took  place  in  August,  1 894.  It  was  not  published  until  October 
9,1894. 

These  sheets  are  of  two  varieties  of  paper  and  were  evidently  bound  for 
Mathews  as  his  "List  of  Books  in  Belles  Lettres,  1895" 1S  included  in 
the  binding.This  copy  is  unique  as  being  the  only  one  which  bears  the 
imprint  of  Mathews  and  Lane.  A  prompt-book  edition  of  fifteen  copies 
was  printed  later  in  1 894,  but  the  collations,  according  to  Mason,  do 
not  agree  nor  do  the  descriptions  correspond. 

In  the  text  are  numerous  editorial  corrections,  directed  principally  to- 
ward Wilde's  somewhat  loose  methods  in  the  misuse  of  "shall"  and 
"will,"  and  "would"  and  "should." 

This  play  was  produced  by  Mr.  Herbert  Beerbohm  Tree  at  the  Hay- 
market  Theatre,  April  1 9, 1 893,  and  held  the  boards  until  August  16. 
This  comedy  was  Wilde's  second  great  success,  and  brought  him  in- 
creased financial  rewards  and  additional  fame  as  a  dramatist.lt  was  won- 
derfully successful  although  bitterly  attacked  by  most  of  the  critics. 
The  first  act  is  one  long  continued  conversation  between  the  characters 
indulging  in  inverted  epigrams,  paradoxes,  and  repartee,  all  of  which 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  development  of  the  plot.  Only  at  the  end 
of  the  act  is  there  even  the  slightest  hint  as  to  what  might  be  expected 
in  the  following  acts. The  audience,  it  is  said,  was  disconcerted  and  sur- 
prised for,from  the  promise  held  out  in  "Lady  Windermere's  Fan,"  it 
had  expected  greater  things  in  the  way  of  a  well  worked-out  plot  of  hu- 
man interest  replete  with  situations  of  such  a  character  as  to  hold  its 
attention  in  the  process  of  its  development.  Some  such  incidents  and 
situations  do  indeed  appear  in  the  following  acts  and  it  is  a  great  feather 
in  Wilde's  cap  and  an  evidence  of  his  great  dramatic  ability  that  he  was 
able,by  the  sheer  force  of  his  personality,to  hold  his  audience  after  the 
highly  artificial  atmosphere  of  the  first  act.  It  was  a  veritable  tour  de 
force,  probably  unexampled  in  the  history  of  the  stage. 
The  casual  meeting  between  Lord  Illington  and  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  in 
the  second  act,between  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  and  her  son  Gerald  in  the  third 
act,  and  her  later  confession  that  Gerald  is  the  natural  son  of  Lord  Ill- 
ington, and  the  scene  between  herself  and  Lord  Illington  in  the  final 

[54] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

act,  afford  dramatic  situations  of  strong  emotional  character,  that  are 
skilfully  handled  by  the  dramatist,  revealing  his  histrionic  talent  to  the 
fullest  degree. 
The  play  was  revived  at  His  Majesty's  Theater  on  May  22, 1907. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 
A  ||  Woman  Of  No  Importance  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  London  || 
John  Lane  At  The  Sign  OfThe||Bodley  Head  In  Vigo  Street  || 
MDCCCXCIV 

Condition:  Small  4°,lilac  linen  boards, designs  in  gilt  by  Charles  Shan- 
non impressed  on  sides,gilt  lettering  and  designs  on  back,uncut.  Size  of 
leaf,  8  l/l  by  6  inches. 
First  Edition,  second  issue. 

Co llation  :  Preliminary  blank  leaf,  [a  1  ] ; Title  as  above,  [a2]  (verso  im- 
print) ;  Dedication,"To  Gladys  Countess  De  Grey,"  [^]  (verso  copy- 
right notice);  "The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  fa]  (verso  "  Of  this  edition 
500  copies  have  been  printed. ");"The  Scenes  OfThe  Play,"  bi (verso 
blank);The  cast  of  the  original  production,[b2](versoblank);Half-title, 
"A  Woman  Of  No  Importance,"  [03]  (verso  blank);  Half-title,"  First 
Act,"[b4](verso  blank);  Text,  Ai-[E4](verso  blank),pp.i-[4o]  ;Half- 
title,"Second  Act,"  Fi  (verso  blank),pp.[4i]-[42];Text,[F2]-[L2], pp. 
43-84;  Half-title,"ThirdAct,"[L3](versoblank),pp.[85]-[86];Text, 
[L4]-[P3],pp.87-n8;Half-title,"FourthAct,"[P4](versoblank),pp. 
[ii9]-[i2o];Text,Qi-Ui,infours,pp.i2i-i54;Imprint,[U2](verso 
blank),  pp.  [1 5  $]-[i  56] ; "  List  of  Books  in  Belles  Lettres,  1 894,"  eight 
leaves  without  signature  marks,  with  printer's  device  on  verso  of  last 
leaf,pp.[i]-[i6]. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  400 -402, 
No.  364. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

A  ||  Woman  Of  No  Importance  ||  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  London  || 
John  Lane  At  The  Sign  Of  The  ||Bodley  Head  In  Vigo  Street  || 
MDCCCXCIV 

[55] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition  :  Small4°,yellow  buckram  boards,designs  in  gilt  by  Charles 
Shannon  impressed  on  sides,gilt  lettering  and  designs  on  back,uncut. 
Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  6^  inches. 

First  Edition,  third  issue. 

Collation:  Preliminary  blank  leaf, [a i] (verso  blank);Title  as  above, 
[a2] (verso  imprint);  Dedication," To  Gladys  Countess  De  Grey,"  [a.3] 
(verso  copyright  notice) ;"  The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [a.4]  (verso"  Of 
this  edition  50  copies  have  been  printed");  "The  Scenes  Of  The  Play," 
bi  (verso  blank) ;  Cast  of  the  original  production,  [b2]  (verso  blank); 
Half-title,  "A  Woman  Of  No  Importance,"  [03]  (verso  blank) ;  Half- 
title,"FirstAct,"  [b4]  (verso  blank)  ;Text,Ai-[E4]  (verso  blank),pp.  1 - 
[40] ;  Half-title, "Second  Act," F 1  (verso  blank),  pp.  [4i]-[42]  ;Text, 
[F2]-[L2], pp.  43-84;  Half-title,  "Third  Act,"  [L3]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[8 5]-[8  6] ;  Text,  [L4HP3],  pp.  8  7-1 1 8 ;  Half-title, «  Fourth  Act,"  [P4] 
(verso  blank),pp.  [1 1  o]-[i  20] ;  Text,Qi-Ui,in  fours,pp.  1 2 1-1 54 ;  Im- 
print, [U2](verso  blank),  pp.  [i55]-[i  56]. 

References:  Hoe  Catalogue  (iqo$),Vo\.  Ill, p.  204;  Mason, Bibliogra- 
phy of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 914),  pp.  402-403,  No.  365. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

A  Woman||Of  No  Importance||By||OscarWilde||Paris||  1903 

Condition  :  Small  40,  lilac  linen  boards,  gilt  lettering  on  back,  uncut. 
Size  of  leaf,  8  */£  by  6  inches. 
Pirated  Edition. 
CoLLATiON:Half-title,"AWomanOfNoImportance,"[ai](verso"Edi- 

tion  limited  to  250 copies. This  isNo ");Title  as  above, [a2] (verso 

blank) ;  Dedication, "To  Gladys  Countess  De  Grey,"  [a3]  (verso  blank); 
"The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [a4]  (verso  blank);  "The  Scenes  OfThe 
Play,"  bi  (verso  blank);  Cast  of  the  original  production,  [b2]  (verso 
blank);Secondhalf-title,[b3](versoblank);Half-title,"FirstAct,"[b4] 
(verso  blank);Text,  B i-[F4](verso  blank), pp.  i-[4o]; Half-title,"Sec- 
ond  Act,"  Gi (verso  blank),pp.[4i]-[42]; Text, [G2]-[M2],pp.43-84; 
Half-title,"ThirdAct,"[M3](versoblank),pp.[85]-[86];Text,[M4]- 
[Q3])pp.87-n8;Half-title,aFourthAct,''[Q4](versoblank),pp.[ii9]- 

[56] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 
[i 20] ; Text, R1-X1 , in  fours, pp.  1 2 1-1 54;  Blank  leaf, [X2], pp.  [1 55]- 

[156]. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  552-553, 
No.  627. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  1 1  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest  ||  A  Trivial  Comedy  For  || 
Serious  People  1 1  By|  |The  Author  Of  1 1  Lady  Windermere's  Fan  1 1 
London  ||  Leonard  Smithers  And  Co  ||  5  Old  Bond  Street  W|| 
MDCCCXCIX 

Condition  :  Small  4°,lilac  linen  boards, designs  in  gilt  by  Charles  Shan- 
non on  covers  and  back,  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,  uncut.  The  Gilbert 
Frankau  copy  with  bookplate.  Size  of  leaf,  Sj^by  6  inches. 
First  Edition, first  issue. 

Collation  :Half-title,"The  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest,"  [ai](ver- 
so  blank); Title  as  above,  [a2] (verso  imprint);  Dedication  to  Robert 
Baldwin  Ross,  [a.3]  (verso  copyright  notice);  "The  Persons  Of  The 
Play,"  [a4]  (verso"One  thousand  copies  of  this  edition  have  been  print- 
ed, of  which  this  is  No.— .");  "The  Scenes  Of  The  Play,"  bi  (verso 
blank);  Cast  of  the  original  production, [b2](verso  blank);  Second  half- 
title,[b3](verso  blank); Half-title,"First  Act,"  [04] (verso  blank); Text, 
Bi-[H2](versoblank),pp.i-[52];Half-title,"SecondAct,"[H3](verso 
blank),  pp.  [53H54] ;  Text, [H4]-[Q3],  pp.  55-1 1 8  ;  Half-title,"  Third 
Act,"  [Q4]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [1 1 9]-[i  20] ;  Text,  Ri-[U4],  ending  with 
imprint, in  fours, pp.  I2i-[i52]. 

Wilde,  in  a  letter  to  Smithers,  insisted  that  the  format  of  this  book 
should  be  uniform  with  that  of  the  two  comedies  previously  published. 
The  play  was  produced  by  George  Alexander  at  the  St.  JamesTheater, 
London, on  February  14,1 894,  and  ran  for  nearly  three  months.  It  was 
revived  at  the  same  theater  on  January  7, 1 902 ;  November  30, 1 909 ; 
June  26,191 1;  and  on  February  15,1913. 

The  comedy  was  written  in  about  a  fortnight's  time.  It  is  essentially  a 
farce,  written  with  the  exuberance  of  youth,  fairly  flying  with  the  wings 
of  epigrammatic  and  scintillating  dialogue. There  is  no  pretense  to  seri- 

[57] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

ous  plot.  Wilde  evidently  knew  his  public  and  felt  that  he  could  discard 

situations  of  dramatic  flavor  or  appeals  of  emotional  character. 

Mr. Ingleby,in  his  "Oscar  Wilde"  (1908), calls  it  "a  deliciously  airily 

irresponsible  comedy."  One  critic  said  of  it  that  "its  title  is  a  pun,  its 

story  a  conundrum, its  characters  lunatics, its  dialogue  a 'galimatias' 

and  its  termination  a '  sell.'  " 

It  was  a  tremendous  success.  Even  Wilde's  former  critics  capitulated. 

Theyjoined  with  the  great  London  public  in  laughing  at  his  witticisms. 

Wilde  now  completely  dominated  the  London  stage. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  his  own  opinion  of  the  play:  "The  first  act  is 

ingenious,the  second,beautiful,the  third  abominably  clever."("  Black 

and  White,"  February  1 6, 1 895,  page  210.) 

References:  DeRicci,  The  Book  Collector  s  Guide  (i92i),p.  633 ;  Hoe 

Catalogue  (i905),Vol.III,p.204;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde 

(i9i4),pp.427-430,No.38i. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  1 1  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest  ||  A  Trivial  Comedy  For|| 
Serious  People  1 1  By  |  |The  Author  Of  1 1  Lady  Windermere's  Fan  j  | 
London  ||  Leonard  Smithers  And  Co  ||  5  Old  Bond  Street  W|| 
MDCCCXCIX 

Condition  :  Small  40,  lilac  linen  boards,designs  by  Charles  Shannon  in 
gilt  on  covers  and  back,  uncut.  The  A.  Edward  Newton  copy  with  pic- 
torial bookplate  dated  1909.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  7  inches. 
First  Edition,  second  issue. 

Collation:  Description  agrees  with  the  above  copy  in  every  particu- 
lar except  that  the  verso  of  a4  reads  "One  hundred  copies  have  been 
printed  on  Large  Paper,  each  signed  by  the  Author,  of  which  this  is  No. 
5 1,"  with  the  autographic  signature  of  Oscar  Wilde. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

An  Ideal  Husband ||  By  || The  Author  Of||  Lady  Windermere's 
Fan  1 1  London  1 1  Leonard  Smithers  And  Co  ||  5  Old  Bond  Street 
W||  MDCCCXCIX 

[58] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition:  Small  4°,  lilac  linen  boards, designs  in  gilt  by  Charles  Shan- 
non on  covers  and  back,  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^ 
by  5 //£  inches. 

First  Edition,  first  issue. 

Collation:  Half-ti  tie,"  An  Ideal  Husband,"  [a  1]  (verso  blank);  Title 
as  above,  [a2]  (verso  imprint);  Dedication  to  Frank  Harris,  [a.3]  (verso 
copyright  notice) ;  "The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [a4]  (verso  "One  thou- 
sand copies  of  this  edition  have  been  printed");  "The  Scenes  Of  The 
Play,"  b  1  (verso  blank) ;  The  cast  of  the  original  production,  [b2]  (verso 
blank);  Second  half-title,  [03]  (verso  blank);  Half-title, "First  Act," 
[b4] (verso blank); Text,  Bi-[l3]  (verso  blank), pp.  i-[62];  Half-title, 
"Second  Act,"  [I4]  (verso  blank),pp. [63]-[64J;  Text,Ki-[Q3], pp. 65- 
118;  Half-title," Third  Act,"  [Q4]  (verso  blank),pp.[  1 1  q]-[ i  20] ; Text, 
Ri-[Y4],pp.i2i-i68;Half-title,"FourthAct,"Zi(verso  blank),pp. 
[1  6q]-[i 70] ; Text,  [Z^\-[Z^\  and  AAi-[EE3]  (verso  printer's  device 
and  imprint),  in  fours,  pp.  1 7 1  - [2 1 4] ;  Blank  leaf,  [EE4],without  pagi- 
nation. 

This  play,  the  third  of  Wilde's  comedies  in  the  order  of  production, 
was  brought  out  by  Messrs.  Lewis  Walker  and  H.  H.  Morell  at  the 
Theater  Royal,  Haymarket,  London,  January  3,1895,  and  ran  until 
April  6,  the  day  after  Wilde's  arrest.  Because  this  theater  was  required 
by  the  lessee,  Herbert  Beerbohm  Tree,  for  the  production  of  another 
play, Wilde's  comedy  was  transferred  to  the  Criterion  for  about  two 
weeks. 

This  play  is  the  most  dramatic  of  his  comedies;  the  action  is  rapid  and 
the  interest  of  the  story  is  sustained  to  the  very  end. The  dialogue,  al- 
ways brilliant,  is  nevertheless  to  the  point  and  relevant,  and  in  no  way 
impedes  the  development  of  the  plot  as  in  his  other  comedies. 

References  :  Charles  W.Clark  Library  Catalogue  (19 1  Q),Vol.V,p.  107; 
DeRiccij'T^i?^  Collector  s  Guide (19 21), p.  634;  Mason, Bibliography 
of  Oscar  Wilde  ( 1 9 1 4),  pp.  43  3  -43  4,  No.  3  8  5 . 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

An  Ideal  Husband  ||  By  ||  The  Author  Of||  Lady  Windermere's 

[59] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Fan 1 1  London 1 1  Leonard  Smithers  And  Co  || 5  Old  Bond  Street 
W||MDCCCXCIX 

Condition  :  Small  4°,lilac  linen  boards,  designs  in  gilt  by  Charles  Shan- 
non on  covers  and  back,  lettered  in  gilt  on  back,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ^ 
by  6%  inches. 

First  Edition,  second  issue. 

Collation:  Descriptionagrees  with  thefirstissuein  every  particularex- 
cept  that  the  verso  of  2.4.  reads  "One  hundred  copies  have  been  printed 
on  Large  Paper,  each  signed  by  the  Author,  of  which  this  is  No.  29," 
with  the  autographic  signature  of  Oscar  Wilde. 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914)^.434,  No. 
386;  Widener  Catalogue  (Rosenbach) (1 91 8), Vol.  II,  p.  279. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

An  Ideal  Husband  ||  By  ||  The  Author  Of||  Lady  Windermere's 
Fan ||  London || Leonard  Smithers  And  Co  || 5  Old  Bond  Street 
W||MDCCCXCIX 

Condition:  Small  40,  vellum  covers, gilt  with  lettering  and  designs  as 
in  the  first  issue,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  7  inches. 
First  Edition,  third  issue. 

Collation:  Same  as  in  first  and  second  issues  of  the  first  edition,  ex- 
cept that  the  verso  of  a4  reads  "Twelve  copies  have  been  printed  on 
Japanese  Vellum,  each  signed  by  the  Author,  of  which  this  is  No.  8," 
with  the  autographic  signature  of  Oscar  Wilde. 
Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp.434-437, 
N0.387. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

An  Ideal  H usband  || By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  A  New  Acting  Version 
Produced  By  ||  Sir  George  Alexander  At  The  ||  St.  James's  The- 
atre ||  Methuen  &  Co.  Ltd.  ||  36  Essex  Street, W.  C.  ||  London 

[I9H-] 

Condition:  8°,  green  cloth  boards,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  6%  by  4^ 
inches. 

[60] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Acting  Edition. 

Collation  :  Half-title,"  An  Ideal  Husband,"  [sig.  i ,]  (verso  blank),  pp. 

[i]-[2];  Title  as  above,  [sig.  i2]  (verso  "First  Published  in  19 14"),  pp. 

[3]-[4];"Preface,"signed "Robert Ross, April  5, 19 14," [sig. i3],pp.5-6; 

"The  Persons  Of  The  Play,"  [sig.  i4]  (verso  blank),  pp.  7-[8];"The 

Scenes  Of  The  Play,"  [sig.  i5]  (verso  blank),pp.9-[io]  ;Text,  [sig.  u]- 

[sig.  8g] (verso  imprint), in  eights,  pp.  1 1- [128]. 

This  edition  was  prepared  for  the  revival  of  the  play  by  Sir  George 

Alexander,  May  14,1914. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp.437-442, 

No.  3  8  7a. 

WILDE,  Oscar. 

The  Plays  Of  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Volume  1 1|  1905 1|  John  W.  Luce 
&  Company  ||  Boston  And  London 

Condition  :  Three  volumes,  8°,  lilac  cloth  boards,  design  in  gilt  im- 
pressed on  front-cover,  lettered  in  gilt,  gilt  top,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7^ 
by  S%  inches. 

Collation:  Volume  /.Title  as  above  within  double  ruled  border,  one 
leaf  (verso  imprint);  Half-title,  "Lady  Windermere's  Fan,"  one  leaf 
(verso  notice  of  acting  rights);  Dedication,"  To  Gladys  Countess  De 
Grey,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Cast  of  the  first  production,one  leaf  (ver- 
so blank) ;  Half-title,"  First  Act,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Text,pp.  1-1 9 ; 
Blank,p. [20] ;  Half-title," Second  Act,"  p.  2 1 ;  Blank,p.  [2 2] ;  Text,pp. 
23-42 ;  Half-title, "Third  Act,"p. 43;  Blank,p.  [44];  Text,pp. 45-60; 
Half-title, "  Fourth  Act,"  p.  6 1 ;  Blank,  p.  [62] ;  Text,pp.  63-78 ;  Four 
blank  leaves ;  Half-title,"  A  Woman  Of  No  Importance,"  one  leaf  (ver- 
so notice  of  acting  rights);  Cast  of  original  production,  one  leaf  (verso 
blank) ;  H  alf-title, "  First  Act,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Text,  pp.  1  -2 1 ; 
Blank,  p.  [22] ;  Half-title,  "Second  Act,"  p.  23  ;  Blank,  p.  [24] ;  Text, 
pp. 25-49 ;  Blank,p. [50] ;  Half-title,"Third  Act," p.  5 1 ;  Blank,p.[52] ; 
Text,pp.  53-72 ;  Half-title,"  Fourth  Act,"  p. 73 ;  Blank, p.  [74] ;  Text, 
pp.  75-94;  One  blank  leaf. 
Volume  //.Title  as  above  (except  volume  number),  one  leaf  (verso  im- 

[61] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

print);  Half-title,"The  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest,"  one  leaf  (verso 
notice  of  acting  rights);  Dedication,  "To  Robert  Baldwin  Ross,"  one 
leaf  (verso  blank);  Cast  of  the  original  production,one  leaf  (verso  blank); 
Half-title, "  First  Act,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Text,  pp.  1-28;  Half- 
title,  " Second  Act,"  p.  29 ;  Blank,  p.  [30] ;  Text,  pp.3 1-64;  Half-title, 
"Third  Act,"  p.  65 ;  Blank,p.  [66] ;  Text,  pp.  67-84;  Blank  leaf;  Half- 
title,"An  Ideal  Husband,"one  leaf  (verso  notice  of  acting  rights);  Ded- 
ication,"To  Frank  Harris,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Cast  of  the  original 
production,one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Half-title,"First  Act,"  one  leaf  (ver- 
so blank) ;  Text,  pp.  1-35;  Blank,  p.  [3  6] ;  Half-title, "  Second  Act,"  p. 
3  7 ;  Blank,  p.  [3  8] ;  Text,  pp. 39-71;  Blank,  p.  [72] ;  Half-title,"Third 
Act,"p.73;  Blank,  p.  [74]  ;Text,pp.75-ioi;Blank,p.  [102];  Half-title, 
"Fourth  Act,"  p.  103;  Blank, p.  [104]; Text,  pp.  105-128. 
Volume  III.  Title  as  above  (except  volume  number),  one  leaf  (verso 
imprint);  Half-title,"  The  Duchess  Of  Padua,"one  leaf  (verso  blank); 
"Dramatis  Personae,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Half-title,"  First  Act," 
one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  pp.  1-14;  Half-title,"  Second  Act,"  p. [15]; 
Blank,p.[i6];Text,pp.i7-36;Half-title,"ThirdAct,"p.[37];Blank, 
p.[38];Text,pp.39-53;Blank,p.[54];Half-title,"FourthAct,"p.[55]; 
Blank, p. [56] ; Text,pp. 57-75 ;  Blank,p. [76] ;  Half-title, "Fifth  Act," 
p.[77] ;  Blank,p.[78] ;  Text,pp-79-92 ;  Half-title,"  Vera;  Or,The  Nihi- 
lists,"one  leaf  (verso  blank); "  Persons  I  nThe  Prologue,"  one  leaf  (ver- 
so blank);  "Prologue," pp.  1-8 ;  Half-title," First  Act,"  p.[9] ;  Blank,p. 
[10] ; Text,pp.  11-25;  Blank,p. [26] ;  Half-title," Second  Act,"p. [27]; 
Blank,p.  [2  8]  ;Text,pp.  29-46 ;  Half-title,"Third  Act,"p.  [47] ;  Blank, 
p.[48];Text,pp.49-62;Half-title,"FourthAct,"p.[63];Blank,p.[64]; 
Text, pp. 65-75 ;  Blank,p.  [76] ;  "Corrections  And  Additions,"  pp.  77- 
79;  Blank,p.[8o];  Half-title,  "Salome,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank);"The 
Persons  Of  The  Play,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Text,  pp.  1-36. 
On  the  verso  of  the  title-pages  of  Volumes  I  and  1 1  the  note  reads  "Set 
Up  And  Printed  In  The  United  States  Of  America";  in  Volume  III, 
this  has  been  altered  to  "The  Plimpton  Press  Norwood  Mass." 


[62] 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

TMfcfona 

[Amery- Scott] 


^^ 


The  Library  of 
William  Andrews  Clarkjr. 

TBiffceiana 

[Amery-Scott] 

[AMERY,  Leopold  Charles  Maurice  Stennett,  HIRST, 
Francis  Wrigley,  and  CRUSO,Henry  Alford  Antony.] 
Aristophanes  ||  At  Oxford.  ||  O.W.  ||  By  ||  Y.T.  O.  ||  [All  Rights 
Reserved]. ||  Oxford:  ||  J.Vincent,  90,  High  Street. ||  London:  || 
Simpkin,  Marshall,  Hamilton,  Kent  &  Co.  [1 894.] 
Condition  :8°,  white  stiffpaperwrappers,lettered  in  green,uncut.  Size 
of  leaf,  7^  by  5%  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Cover-title -."Aristophanes  ||  O.W.  ||  at  Oxford." (verso 
blank);  Half-title,  "Aristophanes  at  Oxford,"one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp.  [i]-[ii] ;  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [iii]-[iv] ;  Preface, 
one  leaf,  pp.  [v]-vi ;  "Dramatis  Personae,"  one  leaf  (verso)  (recto  blank), 
pp.  [vii]-[viii];Text,  B1-G3  (verso  blank),  ending  with  imprint,  in 
eights,  pp.  [i]-[86]. 

This  edition  consisted  of  750  copies.  The  "Y.T.  O."  on  the  title-page 
represents  the  last  letter  in  the  name  of  each  of  the  authors. 
The  scene  of  this  satire  is  laid  near  Oxford.  Wilde  and  his  disciples  are 
herein  held  up  to  ridicule  for  the  reasons  announced  in  the  preface : "  If 
questioned  as  to  the  motive  of  this  production,  we  can  only  reply  that 
as  far  as  we  have  any  it  is  an  honest  dislike  for  <  Dorian  Gray,'  <  Salome,' 
the  'Yellow  Book,'  and  the  whole  of  the  lack-a-daisical,  opium-cigarette 
literature  of  the  day.  Our  attack,  however,is  one  on  principles  and  not 

[67] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

on  persons.  We  confess  straightway  that  our  Oscar  Wilde  is  mainly  a 
creation  of  our  own  fancy." 

Wilde  is  made  the  leading  character  in  this  satirical  play. 
Reference:  Ma.son,BibliographyofOscarWilde(i  9  i4),p.578,No.  685. 

[AMHERST,  Margaret  Susan  Tyssen,  Editor.] 
In  a  Good  Cause. ||  A  Collection  Of||  Stories,  Poems, and  Illus- 
trations. ||  [Two  quotations,  one  of  two  and  one  of  four  lines,  by 
E.B.Browning.]  ||  London:  ||  Wells  Gardner, Darton, &  Co.|| 
Paternoster  Buildings,  E.C.||  1885. 

Condition:  Square  8°, full  vellum  boards, with  design  on  front-cover 
by  S.  M.T.  Amherst  in  black  with  lettering  in  red,  red  edges.  Size  of 
leaf,  8  by  d]/2  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Title  as  above  within  a  single  ruled  border,  [ai]  (verso 
blank),pp.[i]-[ii] ;  Dedication  to  thePrincess  of  Wales,[a2]  (verso  blank), 
pp.  [iii]-[iv] ; "  Preface,"  signed  "Margaret  S. Tyssen  Amherst,  June, 
1885,"  [a3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [v]-[vi];  "Contents,"  [a4],pp.  [vii]-viii; 
"  List  Of  Illustrations,"  b  1  (verso  blank),pp.[ix]-[x];  List  of  patrons  of 
the  North-Eastern  Hospital,[b2],pp.[xi]-[xii];  Subscription  form  slip, 
one  leaf  inserted;  Text,  B1-G1, pp.  [i]-82;"LeJardin  DesTuileries," 
signed  "Oscar  Wilde,"  [G2]  (verso  blank),pp.[83]-[84] ;  Text  (contin- 
ued),[G3]-[U5]  (verso  copyright  notice),endingwith  imprint, in  eights, 
pp.  [85H298];  Miscellaneous  advertisements,  [U6]-[X8]. 
The  poem  is  signed  with  a  facsimile  of  the  author's  signature,  and  the 
illustration  at  the  foot  of  the  page  is  by  L[aura]  T[roubridge],  repre- 
senting children  playing  on  the  branch  of  a  tree. 
References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 
p.  1 22,  No.  8,  i;  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  76-77, 
No.  62. 

BIRNBAUM,  Martin. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  Fragments  And  Memories  ||  By  ||  Martin  Birn- 
baum  1 1  [Fleuron.]  1 1  London  1 1  Elkin  Mathews,Cork  Street  ||  1 920 

[68] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Condition  :  Small  40,  olive  buckram  boards,  gilt,  gilt  top,  uncut.  Size 
of  leaf,  %y2  by  5  %  inches. 

Limited  Edition. 

CoLLATioN:Half-title,"OscarWildeFragmentsAndMemories,"[Ai] 
(verso  "  Of  this  large  paper  edition  fifty  copies  only  have  been  printed, 
of  which  this  is  N0.3  2"),pp.[i]-[2] ; Title  as  above,[A2]  (verso  blank), 
pp.[3]-[4] ;  Second  half-title,[A3](verso  blank),pp.[5]-[6];Text,[A4]- 

[E2],  ending  with  imprint,  in  fours,pp-7-[36]. 

Facing  the  title-page  as  frontispiece  is  a  portrait  of  Oscar  Wilde  from 

an  etching  from  life  by  James  Edward  Kelly. 

This  volume  is  a  gossipy  account  of  OscarWilde's  firstvisit  to  America. 

BIRNBAUM,  Martin. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  Fragments  And  Memories  ||  By  ||  Martin  Birn- 
baum|  I  [Fleuron.]  1 1  London|  |  Elkin  Mathews,Cork  Street  1 1 1 9  2  o 
Condition  :  Small  40,  light  brown  boards,  with  white  paper  label  print- 
ed in  black,  linen  back,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  j}4  by  5  inches. 
Collation:  Description  is  identical  with  preceding  copy  except  that 
the  verso  of  [Ai]  is  blank. 

BLEI,  Franz.  See  LA  JEUNESSE,  Ernest,  GIDE,  Andre, 
and  BLEI,  Franz. 

[BLOXAMJohn  Francis.] 
The  Priest  1 1  And  1 1  The  Acolyte  ||Honi  soit  qui  mal  y  pense.|| 
Privately  Printed  for  Presentation  only.  [1894.] 
Condition  :  8°,original  brown  printed  wrappers,lettered  in  black,un- 
cut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  6  %  inches. 
Second  Edition. 

Collation  :  Cover-title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Two  blank 
leaves ; Title  as  above,  [A  1  ]  (verso  blank), pp.  [1  ]-[2]  5  Text>  [A2]-[C6], 
in  eights,  pp.  [3]-44 ;  Two  blank  leaves. 
John  Francis  Bloxam  of  Exeter  College,Oxford,  was  the  author  of  this 

[69] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

story  which  first  appeared  in  "The  Chameleon/' Vol.  I, No.  i ,  Decem- 
ber, 1 894.  The  story  has  been  frequently  attributed  to  Oscar  Wilde. 
References  :  Hoe  Catalogue  (1 905),Vol.  Ill, p.  204;  Ma.son,Bibliogra- 
-phy  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914)^.568,  No.  6$$. 

BREMONT,Anna  Elizabeth,  Comtesse  De. 
Oscar  Wilde  1 1  And  1 1  His  Mother||A  Memoir  ||  By  ||  Anna,  Com- 
tesse De  Bremont||London:  ||  Everett  &  Co.,  Ltd., ||  42,  Essex 
Street,  Strand,  W.  C.  1 1 1 9 1 1 . 

Condition:  8°, green  cloth, design  and  lettering  stamped  in  gilt, gilt 
top.  Size  ofleaf,  6^  by  \]/2  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"OscarWilde,"[Ai](verso  list  of  books  by  the 
same  author),pp.[i]-[2];Title  as  above,  [A2]  (verso  blank),pp.[3]-[4]; 
Dedication  to  Lady  Wilde,  [A3] (verso  "Sonnet"), pp.  [s]-[6];" Con- 
tents," [A4]-[A6],  pp.  [7]-i  2 ;  Text,"  Book  I,"  [A7J-F 1  (verso  blank), 
pp.  i3-[82] ; Text, "  Book  II,"  [F2]-[K8](verso  blank), pp.  83-[i 60] ; 
Text, "Book  III,"  [Li]-[N4]  (verso  blank), ending  with  imprint, in 
eights, pp.  i6i-[20o]. 

The  frontispiece  is  a  portrait  from  a  drawing  by  Frank  Miles  (18  81). 
Reference:  Mason,Bibliography  ofOscarWilde  (1 9  i4),p.565,No.  645. 

COWLEY-BROWN, John  Stapleton,  Editor.  See  "The 
Goose-Quill." 

CROSLAND, Thomas  William  Hodgson. 
The  1 1  First  1 1  Stone  1 1  By  1 1 T.  W.  H .  Crosland  1 1  On  Reading  1 1  The 
Unpublished  Parts  ||  Of  'De  Profundis'  ||  London  ||  Published 
by  the  Author  ||  Fourteen  Conduit  Street  ||  1 9 1 2 
Condition:  8°,  gray-blue  boards,  lettered  in  gilt,  uncut.  Size  ofleaf, 
8  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"The  First  Stone,"  [Ai  ]  (verso  quotations  from 
"The  Harlot's  House"  and  from  "Modern  Painters"), pp.  [i]-[>]; 

[70] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Title  as  above, [A2]  (verso  blank), pp.  [3] -[4] ; "  Foreword,"  [ A3HA4] 
(verso  blank), pp.  5-[8] ;  Text,  [A5HB7], in  eights,  pp.  9-30 ;  Imprint, 
[B8]  (verso  blank),  one  leaf  without  pagination. 
Lord  Alfred  Douglas  in  his  "Oscar  Wilde  And  Myself  "(1 914), de- 
votes an  entire  chapter  in  explaining  how  this  volume  came  to  be  pub- 
lished. He  denies  any  responsibility  for  its  production  either  through 
any  advice  or  suggestion  to  the  author  from  himself.  Subsequently  an 
anonymous  pamphletwas  published  calledaTheWritingontheFloor" 
in  which  Crosland  and  Douglas  are  attacked  for  having  publishedaThe 
First  Stone."  Crosland's  work  is  a  vile,vicious,and  unwarranted  criti- 
cism of  Wilde. 
Reference:  Mzson,Bibliography  of 'Oscar -Wilde (1914)^.456. 

CROSS,  Enrique,  Editor.  See  "The  Soil.  A  Magazine  of  Art." 

CRUSO,  Henry  Alford  Antony.  See  AMERY,  Leopold 
Charles  Maurice  Stennett,HIRST,FrancisWrigley, 
and  CRUSO,  Henry  Alford  Antony. 

DOUGLAS,  Alfred,  Lord. 
Oscar  Wilde  1 1  And  Myself  ||  By  ||  Lord  Alfred  Douglas  ||  With 
Portrait  Of  The  Author  ||  And  Thirteen  Other  Portraits  And 
Illustrations  ||  Also  Fac-simile  Letters  ||  [Publishers'  device.]  || 
NewYork||Duflield  &  Company  ||  1914 

Condition:  8°,  green  cloth,  lettered  in  gilt,  uncut. Size  of  leaf,  8^  by 
$j4  inches. 

First  American  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title, "Oscar  Wilde  And  Myself,"  one  leaf  (verso 
blank),  pp.  [i]-[ii] ;  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  copyright  notice),pp. 
[iii]  -  [iv_ [;"  Preface,"  two  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp.  v-  [viii] ; 
Dedication,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [ix]-[x];  "Contents,"  one  leaf, 
pp.xi-xii;ccList  of  Illustrations,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [xiii]-xiv; 
Second  half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [i]-[a];  "  Introductory," 
pp.3-9;Blank,p.[io];Text,pp.  1 1-298;  "Index,"pp.299-3o6.There 
are  no  signature  marks. 

[71] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

There  are  fourteen  illustrations,  including  frontispiece,  as  called  for  by 
the  list  of  illustrations,  and  three  facsimile  letters. 
This  is  a  badly  written  book  by  Lord  Alfred  Douglas  in  defense  of  him- 
self and  in  attempted  refutation  of  the  charge  made  by  Ransome  and 
others  of  his  having  been  the  cause  of  Wilde's  downfall.  It  is  also  a  re- 
ply to  those  portions  of  the  "suppressed"  part  of  "De  Profundis"  that 
were  read  at  the  trial  of  Douglas  against  Ransome. 
Henley  once  wrote  an  unpleasant  tribute  to  his  dead  friend, Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,but  therein  he  merely  sought  to  detract  from  Steven- 
son's talent  as  a  writer ;  the  spirit  of  hate  was  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 
But  in  this  book  Douglas  shows  both  hatred  and  malice  combined  with 
a  determination  to  malign  and  to  belittle  Wilde  as  a  writer  and  a  poet. 
It  is  a  shameful  slur  on  the  memory  of  a  dead  man  with  whom  Doug- 
las had  long  been  on  terms  of  the  greatest  intimacy  and  whom  he  once 
worshipped  almost  as  a  demi-god. 

Wilde's  standing  in  the  world  of  letters  will  not  be  hurt  thereby  and 
it  is  quite  certain  that  by  the  publication  of  this  book  Douglas  has  added 
not  a  whit  to  his  own  reputation. 

Reference:  yi^son^BibliographyofOscarU^ilde  (19 1 4),p«5  8  2,N  0.693. 

GIDE,  Andre. 
Oscar  Wilde  1 1 A  Study  ||  From  The  French  Of  ||  Andre  Gide|| 
With  Introduction,  Notes  And  Bibliography  ||  By  ||  Stuart  Ma- 
son ||  Oxford  ||  The  Holywell  Press  ||  MCMV 

Condition  :  8°,  gray  boards, with  white  labels  lettered  in  red  and  black 
on  front-cover  and  back,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition  in  English. 

Collation  :  Half-title, "  Oscar  Wilde,"  one  leaf  (verso  "This  Edition 
consists  of  500  copies.  Fifty  copies  have  been  printed  on  hand-made 
paper."),pp.[i]-[ii]  ;Title  as  above,in  red  and  black,  one  leaf  (verso  "[All 
Rights  Reserved]."),  pp.  [iii]-[iv] ;  Dedication  to  Donald  Bruce  Wal- 
lace, one  leaf  (verso  note  on  poem  by  Wilde),  pp.  [v]-[vi] ;  Poem  by 
Wilde,  one  leaf  (verso  note  on  Mr.  Gide's  "Study  of  Oscar  Wilde"), 
pp.  [vii]-[viii];"List  Of  Illustrations,"  one  leaf  (verso  "Errata"),  pp. 

[>] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

[ix]-[x];  "Contents,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [xi]-[xii] ;  "  Introduc- 
tory,"signed"Stuart  Mason,"  B  i -[B5],pp.[i]-io;Inscription  on  Oscar 
Wilde's  tombstone  atBagneux,[B6](recto),p.[i  i];" Letters  from  M. 
Andre  Gide,"  [B6]  (verso)-[B7]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [  1 2]-[i  4] ;  Text,  [B  8]- 
[G4],pp.[i  5]-8  8;  Sonnet  to  Oscar  Wilde  by  Augustus  M.Moore,[G5] 
(verso  blank),  pp.[89]-[9o];Half-title,"ListOfPublishedWritingsOf 
Oscar  Wilde,"  [G6]  (verso  blank),pp.  [9 1 H92] ;  Text,  [Gy]-[H3],  pp. 
[93]-i02;Note,[H4],pp.[i03]-i04;"Books  containing  Selections  from 
the  Works  of  Oscar  Wilde,"  [H5](versoblank),pp.[io5]-[io6];  Bibli- 
ographical notes  on  English  editions,  [H6]-[H 7],  pp. [ioy]-i  10;  Ad- 
vertisements, [H  8]  (verso  imprint),in  eights,  one  leaf  without  pagina- 
tion. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  chapteris  a  leaf  on  the  recto  of  which  is  a  stanza 
of  four  lines,  the  verso  being  blank. 

In  the  list  of  contents  the  "  Poem  by  Oscar  Wilde"  is  indexed  as  being 
on  page  xi  instead  of  vii. 

There  are  five  illustrations,  including  frontispiece,  as  called  for  in  the 
list. 

Mr.  Gide's"  Study  of  Oscar  Wilde"  first  appeared  in  "L'Ermitage" 
(Paris),a  monthly  literary  review,June,  1 902,pages40 1 -429.This  work 
is  a  portrait  in  miniature  rather  than  an  interpretative  study  of  Wilde's 
character. 

References:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914)^.567,  No. 
652;  Widener  Catalogue  (Rosenbach)(i9i8),Vol.  1 1,  p.  279. 

GIDE,  Andre.  See  LA  JEUNESSE,  Ernest,  GIDE,  Andre, 
and  BLEI,  Franz. 

The  ||  Goose-Quill  ||  [Quotation  of  one  line.]  ||  Edited  By  ||John 
Stapleton  Cowley-Brown.  ||  Vol.  1 .  No.  1 .  ||  New  Series.  ||  No- 
vember 1,1901.  [etc.] 

Condition:  8°,  white  pictorial  wrappers,  stitched,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf, 
%}i  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

[73] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Collation:  Pictorial  cover-title, "  In  this  Number  "The  Ballad  of 
Reading  Gaol,"  by  Oscar  Wilde.  ||  The  Goose-Quill.  ||  [Pictorial  de- 
sign.] ||  ioc  a  Copy.$  i.ooYearly.|| Published  on  the  First  of  Each 

Month  atthe  Auditorium  Building,Chicago,"one  leaf(verso  advertise- 
ment),pp.[i]-2;Text,"The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol,"  pp.  3-14;  Mis- 
cellany, pp.  1 5-30 ;  Advertisements,  back-cover  (recto  and  verso),  pp. 
3l~3^ 
There  are  three  illustrations  in  the  text. 

HAGEMANN,  Carl. 
Carl  Hagemann  1 1  Wilde-Brevier  1 1  [Publisher's  device.]  ||  J.C.C. 
Bruns' Verlag||  Herzogl.  Sach.und  Furstl.  Sch.-Lipp.  Hof-Ver- 
lagsbuchhandlung  ||  Minden  i.  Westf. 

Condition:  8°,tan  linen  boards,lettered  in  gilt,gilt  top.  Size  of  leaf,  6  j{ 
by  4%  inches. 

CoLLATioN:Half-title,"CarlHagemannWilde-Brevier,"oneleaf(ver- 
so  advertisement),  pp.  [I]-[II] ;  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  state- 
ment of  limited  edition  and  imprint),  pp.  [I  I  I]-[IV] ;"  Inhalt,"  one  leaf 
(verso  blank),  pp.  [V]-[VI];  "Vorwort,"  three  leaves,  pp.  [VII] -XII; 
Half-title, "  I  Die  Kunst,"  sig.  1  x  (verso  blank), pp.  [  1  ]-[2] ; Text, sig.  1  *- 
[sig.34],pp.  [3]-40;  Half-title, "II  Die  Kritik,"[sig.  35] (verso  blank), 
pp.  [4i]-[42] ; Text,  [sig.  36]-[sig.43],  PP-  [43H45  Half-title," III  Der 
Mensch,"[sig.44](versoblank),pp.[55]-[56];Text,[sig.45]-[sig.5s],pp. 
[57]-74 ;  Half-title, "  IV  Die  Gesellschaft,"  [sig.  56]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[75]-[76];TextJ[sig.57]-sig.6*,pp.[77]-84;Half-title,"VDieMoral," 
[sig.  63]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [8  5]-[8 6] ;  Text,  [sig.  64]-sig.  7,,  pp.  [8 y]-^; 
Half-title,"  VI  DieGeschlechter,"sig.  7*(verso  blank),pp.  [99]-[ioo] ; 
Text,  [sig.  73]-sig.  8 !  (verso  blank),  pp.  [1 01] -[1 14];  Half-title, "VII 
Das  Leben  und  anderes," sig.  8*  (verso  blank),  pp.  [1 1 5]-[i  1 6] ;  Text, 
[sig.  83]-[sig.  87],  pp. [1 1 7]-i 26 ; "  Bibliographic,"  [sig.  88]-[sig.  o3],  pp. 
[i27]-i34;  Advertisements  of  Wilde's  works  in  German,  [sig.  94],in 
eights, pp.  [i35]-[i36]. 

The  frontispiece  is  from  the  etching  by  James  Edward  Kelly. 

[74] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

HAMILTON,  Walter. 

The||iEsthetic  Movement  ||  In  England.  ||  By  ||  Walter  Hamil- 
ton, ||  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Geographical  and  Historical  Socie- 
ties; ||  Author  of  "The  Poets  Laureat  of  England,"  "A  History 
of  National  Anthems  and  ||  Patriotic  Songs,"  "A  Memoir  of 
George  Cruikshank,"  &c.  ||  [Quotation  of  three  lines  from  Wil- 
liam Morris.]  1 1  London :  1 1  Reeves  &  Turner,  196,  Strand,  Lon- 
don,W.  C.  ||  MDCCCLXXXII. 

Condition:  8°,  green  cloth  boards, with  design  and  lettering  stamped 
in  gilt  on  front-cover,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ji  by  5^  inches. 

Second  Edition. 

Collation  :  Title  as  above,  within  ornamental  borders,  [Ai]  (verso 
blank), pp.[i]-[ii]; "Contents,"  [A2](verso blank),pp.  [iii]-[iv];" Intro- 
duction," [A3]-[A4],  pp.  [v]-viii;  Text,  B1-G2,  pp.  [1]- 84;  "Mr.  Oscar 
Wilde,"[G3]-[H7],pp.[85]-no;Text(continued),[H8]-[I8](verso 
blank),  ending  with  imprint,  in  eights,  pp.  [1 1  i]-[i 28].  Sig.  B2  is  mis- 
printed C2. 

HARRIS,  Frank. 

Oscar  Wilde  1 1  His  Life  And  ||  Confessions  ||  By  ||  Frank  Harris  || 
Volume  1 1|  Printed  And  Published  ||  By  The  Author ||  3  Wash- 
ington Square  New  York  City  ||  MCMXVI 

Condition  :  Two  volumes,  8°,  full  purple  crushed  levant  morocco,gilt 
back  and  inside  borders,  gilt  top,  uncut,  by  Blackwell.  Size  of  leaf,  8^ 
by  SVa-  inches. 
Special  Edition. 

Collation:  Volume  I.  Half-title, "Oscar Wilde:  His  Life  And  Con- 
fessions," one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Title  as  above,  in  red  and  black,  one 
leaf  (verso  copyright  notice)  ;"Contents,"one  leaf  (verso  blank);"List 
Of  Illustrations,"  one  leaf  (verso  quotation),  pp.  [i]-[ii];  "Introduc- 
tion," three  leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  pp.  iii-  [viii] ;  Text,  pp.  1- 
3  20;  Three  blank  leaves. 

[75] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Volume 1 "/.Title  as  above  (except  volume  number),in  red  and  black,one 
leaf  (verso  quotation  from"The  Balladof  Reading  Gaol,"and  copyright 
notice) ;  Text,  pp.  3  2 1  -548 ;  "Appendix,"  pp.  549-5  8  6 ; "  M  rs  Wilde's 
Epitaph," p.  587;  "Sonnet,"  p.  588;  "The  Story  Of'Mr.  And  Mrs. 
Daventry,'" pp. 589-594; "Oscar's  Last  Days," pp. 595-603;  Blank, 
p.  [604];  Letter  to  Wilde  from  Lord  Alfred  Douglas,  p.  [605];  Blank, 
p.  [606];  Letter  from  Oscar  Wilde  to  Frank  Harris,p.[6o7];  Blank,p. 
[608].  There  are  no  signature  marks. 

There  are  three  illustrations  in  each  volume  as  called  for  in  the  list  of 
illustrations. The  book  is  printed  on  Japanese  vellum. 
On  the  fly-leaf  of  Volume  I,inscribed  in  the  handwriting  of  the  author, 
is  the  following: "Only  six  copies  have  been  made  with  this  hitherto 
unpublished  material.  Frank  Harris.  June  191 8." 
On  the  second  fly-leaf  appears  these  lines  in  the  author's  handwriting: 
"I  inscribe  this  special  copy  to  W.A.Clark  Jr., Esq.  so  that  it  may  form 
an  integral  part  of  his  important 'Wilde-Collection,' Frank  Harris." 

Inserted  inVolume  II, between  pages  604  and  605, is  a  facsimile  of  the 
letter  from  Lord  Douglas  to  Wilde  which  appears  on  page  605. The 
original  of  this  letter  is  in  the  possession  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

This  work  is  at  once  the  best  personal  picture  that  has  been  painted  of 
OscarWilde  and  also  the  most  intimate  account  of  that  versatile  man's 
life.  It  stands  as  a  supreme  work  of  art  and  as  one  of  the  few  great  biog- 
raphies we  have  in  the  English  literature.  It  was  conceived  in  strong 
friendship  and  was  born  in  the  love  that  knew  no  bounds.  The  story 
of  Wilde  is  told  with  the  devotion  of  a  true  friend.  It  extenuates  noth- 
ing that  Wilde  did  nor  does  it  palliate  the  vices  of  which  he  was  guilty, 
but  it  delineates  the  virtues  and  talents  that  were  Wilde's,  rather  than 
the  weaknesses  that  were  inherent  in  his  character.  Harris  has  silenced 
the  scurrilities  of  Wilde's  detractors,yet  on  the  other  hand  has  brought 
to  sanity  the  too  fulsome  praises  that  had  been  bestowed  on  this  er- 
ratic man  by  others  who  have  written  of  him  and  of  his  works.  Frank 
Harris  and  the  late  Robert  Ross  are  the  two  men  who  stand  out  prom- 
inently as  Wilde's  truest  friends  when  that  unfortunate  man  had  drunk 
to  the  dregs  the  full  cup  of  bitter  despair  and  degradation,  and  who 

[76] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

alone  of  all  his  friends  held  out  to  him  a  helping  hand  and  a  healing 
sympathy  in  his  distress. 

Reference:  Mason}Bibliograp/iy  of  Oscar  Wilde(i  9  i4),p.582,No.  694. 

[HICHENS,  Robert  Smythe.] 
The  ||  Green  Carnation ||  [Triangular  floral  design.]  ||  [Publish- 
er's device.]  ||New  York||D.  Appleton  And  Company ||  1895 

Condition  :  8°,green  buckram  boards,with  design  and  letters  stamped 
in  silver,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  6  %  by  4^  inches. 
First  American  Edition. 

CoLLATiON:Title  as  above,in  red  and  green, [sig.  ii]  (verso  imprint); 
Text,  [sig.  i2]-[sig.  i43](verso  blank),  in  eights,  pp.  i-[2I2];  Publica- 
tions of  Appleton  and  Co., [sig.  i44]-[sig.  148]. 

This  volume,  often  attributed  to  Wilde,  was  written  by  Robert  Hich- 
ens,and  first  appeared  in  the  "Pall  Mall  Gazette"  for  October  2,1 894, 
beginning  page3."The  Green  Carnation"was  published  anonymous- 
ly September  15,1894,^  the"Pioneer  Series"  of  Heinemann's  nov- 
els.The  author's  name  (Hichens)  appeared  on  the  title-page  after  the 
third  edition. 

Mr.  James  Huneker,in  his  "  Unicorns  "  ( 191 7),  page  2 1 5,  says : "  Posi- 
tively the  best  book  Wilde  ever  inspired  was  The  Green  Carnation, 
by  Robert  Hichens,  which  book  gossip  avers  set  the  ball  rolling  that 
fetched  up  behind  prison  bars." 

This  book  is  a  satire  upon  Wilde's  novel,  "The  Picture  of  Dorian 
Gray."  It  is  an  attempt  to  picture  the  weaknesses  of  the  period  during 
whichWilde  wrote.In  the  characters  of  Esme  Amarinth  and  LordReg- 
gie,two  well-known  personalities  are  parodied:  Oscar  Wilde  being  one, 
and  the  other  being  a  well-known  member  of  the  peerage,  and  a  dilet- 
tante in  literature. 

Reference  :  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  ( 1 9 1 4),  pp.  167-168, 
No.  234. 

HINKSON,  Henry  A.,  Editor. 
Dublin  Verses  1 1  by  1 1  Members  1 1  of  1 1  Trinity  College  1 1  Edited  By  1 1 

[77] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

H .  A.  Hinkson  1 1  Sometime  Scholar  of  Trinity  College,  D  ublin  1 1 
[Two  lines  in  Greek  from  Pindar.]  ||  London  Elkin  Mathews  || 
Dublin  Hodges,  Figgis  &  Co.,  Limited  ||  MDCCCXCV 

Condition:  Small  40,  green  linen  boards, with  design  and  lettering 
stamped  in  gilt  on  front-cover,design  stamped  on  back-cover,gilt  back, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  6y£  inches. 

Collation:  Half-title,  "Dublin  Verses  by  Members  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege," one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [i]-[ii] ;  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso 
blank),  pp.  [iii]-[iv];  Dedication,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [v]-[vi]; 
"Preface,"  one  leaf, pp.  [vii]-viii;" Contributors,"  [A  1]  (verso  blank), 
pp.  [ix]-[x] ; " Contents,"  [A2]-[A3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [xi]-[xiv] ;  Half- 
title,  "Dublin  Verses,"  [A4]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [xv]-[xvi];  Text,  Bi- 
[T2],infours,pp.[i]-i40;"Notes,"[T3](versoblank),pp.[i4i]-[i42]; 
Printer's  device,[T4](versoblank),pp.[i43]-[i44];"List  of  Books  in 
Belles  Lettres,  1 895,"  ten  leaves,  pp.  [i]-20. 

The  poems  by  Wilde  which  appear  in  this  anthology  are :  "  Requies- 
cat,"  page  12;"  The  True  Knowledge,"  page  48 ; "  Salve  SaturniaTel- 
lus,"page  81;  "Theocritus,"  page  105;  and  "The  Dole  of  the  King's 
Daughter,"  page  117. 

References:  M.a.son3Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1907), 
p.i2o,No.6;  Mason, Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914)^.297. 

HIRST,Francis  Wrigley.  See  AMERY, Leopold  Charles 
Maurice  Stennett,HIRST,FrancisWrigley,and  CRU- 
SO, Henry  Alford  Antony. 

INGLEBY,  Leonard  Cresswell. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  By  ||  Leonard  Cresswell  Ingleby  ||  New  York  || 
D.Appleton  And  Company  ||  1908 

Condition:  8°, green  cloth  boards, with  design  stamped  with  darker 
green  on  cover  and  in  gilt  on  back,  gilt  top,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ^  by 
5^  inches. 

Second  Edition. 

[78] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

CoLLATiON:Preliminaryblankleaf,pp.[i]-[ii];Half-title,"Oscar  Wilde," 
one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[iii]-[iv];Title  as  above,one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp. [v]-[vi] ; "  Contents,"  one  leaf,pp.vii-viii ;  Half-title,"  Part  I  Oscar 
Wilde:TheMan,"Ai(versoblank),pp.[i]-[2];Text,[A2]-[F6](verso 
blank),pp.3-[92] ;  Half-title,"  Part  1 1  The  Modern  Playwright,"  [F7] 
(verso  blank),pp.[93H94];Text,[F8]-[K7](versoblank),pp.95-[is8]; 
Half-title,"PartIIIThe  Romantic  Dramas," [K8](verso  blank),pp. 
[i59]-[i6o];Text,Li-[08],pp.i6i-224;Half-title,«PartIVThe 
Writer  Of  Fairy  Stories,"  Pi(versoblank),pp.[225]-[226];Text,[P2]- 
Qi ,  pp.  227-242 ;  Half-title, " Part  V  The  Poet,"  [Q2]  (verso  blank), 
pp.[243]-[244];  Text,[Q3]-[T5],pp.  245-298;  Half-title, "Part  VI 
The  Fiction  Writer,"  [T6] (verso  blank),  pp. [299H300]; Text, [T7]- 
[X4](versoblank),pp.30i-[328];Half-title,"PartVII  The  Philosophy 
OfBeauty,"[X5](versoblank),pp.[329]-[33o];Text,[X6]-[Z2](verso 
blank), pp.33i-[356];Half-title,"Part  VIII  <De  Profundis,'"  [Z3] 
(verso  blank), pp.[357]-[358];Text,[Z4]-[Z8]  and  2Ai-[2B5](verso 
blank),pp.359-[394];Half-title,"Index,"[2B6](versoblank),pp.[395]- 
[396];  Text,[2B7]-[2B8], ending  with  imprint,  in  eights,pp.  397-400. 
The  frontispiece  is  a  portrait  of  Oscar  Wilde  from  a  crayon  drawing 
by  S.Wray. 

This  is  one  of  the  very  best  critical  studies  of  Oscar  Wilde's  works  that 
has  yet  been  written.  It  is  of  but  little  biographical  interest.There  are 
a  few  errors  in  the  text  regarding  facts  which  should  have  been  known 
by  the  author. 

KENILWORTH,  Walter  Winston. 
A  Study  Of  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  ||  By  1 1  Walter  Winston  Kenilworth|| 
Author  Of  "Psychic  Control  Through  Self- Knowledge," 
"Thought  On  Things  Psychic,"  "The  Life  ||  Of  The  Soul," 
Etc.,  Etc. ||  [Printer's  ornament.]  ||  R.  F.  Fenno  &  Company|| 
18  East  17TH  Street  New  York  [19 12.] 

Condition:  8°,black  cloth  boards,gilt.  Size  of  leaf,  7^  by  4%  inches. 
First  Edition. 
Collation:  Half-title, c< A  Study  Of  OscarWilde,"  p.[3];  Blank  leaf, 

[79] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

p. [4] ;  Title  as  above,p.[5] ;  Copyright  notice,p.[6]  ;"Contents,"p.[7]; 
Blank,p.[8];ccForeword,"pp.9-i2;Half-title,"Impressions,"p.[i3]; 
Blank,p.[i4];Text,pp.i5-26;Half-title,ccReflections,"p.[27];Blank, 
p.[2  8];Text,pp.29-39;Blank,p.[4o];Half-title,"Revelations,"p.[4i]; 
Blank,p.[42] ;  Text,pp.43~55 ;  Blank,p. [56] ;  Half-title,"Intentions," 
p. [57]  ;Blank,p. [5  8]  ;Text,pp. 59-70;  Half-title,"  Aspirations,"  p.[7i]; 
Blank, p.  [72];  Text, pp.  73-85;  Blank, p.  [86];  Half-title, "Realiza- 
tions," p.  [87];  Blank,p.  [88];  Text, pp.  89-100;  Half-title, "Illumi- 
nations," p. [101] ;  Blank, p. [102] ; Text, pp.  103-1 17;  Blank, p. [1 1 8]; 
Half-title,"Conclusions,"p.[i  19] ;  Blank,p.[i 20] ;  Text,pp.  1 2 1-133 ; 
Blank,p.[i34];  Half-title,"  Afterword,"p.[i35];Blank,p.[i36];Text, 
pp.  137-139;  Blank,p.[i4o];  Advertisements  and  press  notices, three 
leaves  (verso  of  last  leaf  blank),  without  pagination. 

Mason,  in  his  bibliography,  says  that  in  all  copies  of  the  above  work 
examined  a  leaf  between  the  title-page  and  the  list  of  contents  has  been 
cut  out,  which  would  account  for  the  hiatus  appearing  between  pages 
4  and  7.  This  does  not  appear  to  be  the  case  in  the  present  copy. 

This  essay  is  a  psychological  analysis  of  Wilde's  character,and  was  writ- 
ten in  1 9 1 2, twelve  years  after  that  unfortunate  man's  death.  It  is  inter- 
esting as  showing  that  with  the  flight  of  years  the  pendulum  of  public 
opinion  is  slowly  swinging  back  to  a  normal  position  where  the  man 
and  his  works  may  be  judged  without  prejudice  and  his  proper  place 
among  English  writers  may  ultimately  be  fixed. 

Reference  \M.a.son:iBibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 9 14)^.567^0.65 1. 

LA  JEUNESSE,  Ernest,  GIDE,  Andre,  and  BLEI,  Franz. 
POLLARD,  P  erciv  AL,Trans/ator. 

Recollections  1 1  Of  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  By  1 1  Ernest  La  Jeunesse  1 1  An- 
dre Gide  And  Franz  Blei|| Translation  And  Introduction  ||  By  || 
Percival  Pollard||  1906H  John  W.Luce  And  Company  ||  Boston 
And  London 

Condition:  Small  8°,  lilac  linen  boards,  design  and  lettering  stamped 
in  gilt,  gilt  back,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  6yi  by  4^  inches. 

[80] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Reprint. 

CoLLATiON:Half-title,"Recollections  Of  OscarWilde,"  one  leaf  (ver- 
so blank),  pp.  [i]-[2];  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  copyright  notice 
and  imprint),pp.[3]-[4] ;  "Contents,"one  leaf  (verso  blank),pp.[5]-[6]; 
Half-title,"  Introduction  By  Percival  Pollard,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank), 
pp. [7]-[8];Text,  eight  leaves  (verso  of  lastleaf  blank),pp.a-[24];  Half- 
title,"  Recollections  Of  OscarWilde  By  Andre  Gide,"  one  leaf  (verso 
blank),pp.[2  5]-[26];Text,pp.27-66;  Half-title,"  Recollections  Of  Oscar 
Wilde  By  Ernest  La  Jeunesse,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [67H68]; 
Text,pp.69-87;Blank,p.[88];Half-title,"RecollectionsOf  OscarWilde 
By  Franz  Blei,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [8a]-[ao] ;  Text,pp.  91-99; 
Blank,p.  [100] ;  Advertisements  of  the  works  of  Oscar  Wilde,one  leaf. 
There  are  no  signature  marks. 

This  is  a  reprint  of  the  "Literary  Collector  Press"  edition,the  mistakes 
remaining  uncorrected. 
REFERENCE:Mason,jB/M^r^/zyo/Oj^r/F//^(i9i4),p.57i,No.665. 

LOUNSBERY,  G.  Constant. 
The  Picture  Of  ||  Dorian  Gray||  A  Play  In  Three  Acts  And  || 
Prologue :  Dramatized  By  1 1 G.  Constant  Lounsbery  1 1  From  The 
Romance  Of  1 1  OscarWilde 1 1  London:  Simpkin Marshall  1 1  Ham- 
ilton Kent  &  Co  Ltd  ||  1 9 1 3 

Condition:  8°,  white  canvas  boards, lettering  and  medallion  designs 
by  Charles  Ricketts,  stamped  in  gilt  on  front-cover,  gilt  back,  gilt  top, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ^  by  5  ^  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"The  Picture  Of  Dorian  Gray,"  [Ai]  (verso 
blank), pp.  [i]-[2] ;  Title  as  above,  [A2]  (verso  copyright  notice  and  im- 
print),pp.  [3H4] ;  Cast  of  first  production,  [A3]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [5]- 
[6] ;  List  of  characters  and  scenes,  [A4]  (verso  blank),pp.  [7]-[8] ;  Half- 
title,"  Act  I,"  [As]  (verso  blank),pp.[9]-[  10];  Text,[A6]-[B6],pp.i  1-28; 
Half-title," ActII,"[B7](verso  blank), pp.[29]-[3o];Text,[B8]-[D3], 
pp.3 1-54;  Half-title," Act  III,"  [D4]  (verso  blank),pp.[55]-[56]  ;Text, 

[81] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

[D5HE3]  (verso blank),pp.57-[7o];  Half-title, "Act  IV,"  [E4]  (verso 
blank),pp.[7i]-[72];Text,[E5]-[F8](versoblank),ineights,pp.73-[96]. 
Reference:  Ni?LSonyBibliographyofOscarIVilde(i  9 1 4),p-3  52,  N0.340. 

MASON,  Stuart. [Pseudonym  of  MILLARD,Christopher 

SCLATER.] 

Bibliography  ||  Of  Oscar  Wilde  ||  By  ||  Stuart  Mason  ||  With  A 
Note  By  1 1  Robert  Ross  1 1  Illustrated  1 1  London  1 1  T.Werner  Laurie 
Ltd. ||  [1914.] 

Condition:  8°, red  cloth  boards, with  designs  by  Charles  Ricketts, let- 
tering on  front-cover,and  publisher's  monogram  on  back-cover  stamped 
in  black.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  51^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation  :  Half-title,"  Bibliography  Of  OscarWilde," with  publish- 
er's device  at  foot  of  page,  [ai]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [i]-[ii];  Title  as  above, 
[a2](versoblank),pp.[iii]-[iv];Introductorynote,signed"RobertRoss," 
[a3],pp.v-vi; "Preface,"  [a4]-[a5]  (verso  blank),pp.vii-[x];  "Contents," 
[a6]-[b8],pp.xi-xxxii;  Half-title,"Part  I  Periodical  Publications," Ai, 
pp.i-[2];Text,[A2]-[P7](versoblank),pp.3-[238];Half-title,"PartII 
Works  Issued  In  Book  Form,"  [P8](verso  blank), pp.  [239]-[24o]; 
Text,Qi-[Z8]  and  2Ai-2Ni,pp.24i-562;  Half-title,"Part  III  Biog- 
raphies, Studies,  Etc.,"  [2N2]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [563]-[564] ;  Text, 
[2N3]-[203],  pp.  565-582;  "Appendix,"  [204]-[205]  (verso  blank), 
pp.583-[586];"Ana,"[206]-[207]  (verso  blank),  pp.587-[59o];"In- 
dex  Of  Names,"  [208]-[2P7J  (verso  blank),  ending  with  imprint,  in 
eights,  pp.  59i-[6o6] ;  Advertisements,  [2P8]  (verso  blank), one  leaf 
without  pagination. 

The  frontispiece  is  a  caricature  of  OscarWilde  at  work,  after  a  draw- 
ing by  Aubrey  Beardsley,  reproduced  on  Japanese  vellum. 
Facing  page  241  is  a  caricature  of  Wilde  by  Max  Beerbohm,  repro- 
duced on  Japanese  vellum. 

Throughout  the  text  are  numerous  reproductions  of  title-pages  of 
Wilde's  works,  of  covers  of  magazines  in  which  Wilde's  writings  ap- 
peared, facsimiles  of  manuscripts,  etc. 

[82] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

MASON,  Stuart.  [MILLARD,  Christopher  Sclater.] 
Bibliography  ||  Of  Oscar  Wilde  ||  By  ||  Stuart  Mason  ||  With  A 
Note  By  ||  Robert  Ross  ||  Volume  One  ||  Illustrated  ||  London  || 
T.Werner  Laurie  Ltd.  ||  8  Essex  Street  ||  1 9 1 4 
Condition: Two  volumes,  8°, cream  canvas  boards  with  designs  by 
Charles  Ricketts  and  lettering  stamped  in  gilt  on  front-cover,  gilt  top, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8^  by  6  inches. 
Edition  de  Luxe. 

Collation  :  Volume  I.  "This  Edition  de  Luxe  (in  two  Volumes)  con- 
sistsofiooCopies,numberedandsigned.ThisisNo.84,"with  the  auto- 
graphic signature  of  Stuart  Mason,  one  leaf  (verso  blank) ;  Half-title, 
"  Bibliography  Of  Oscar  Wilde  Volume  One,"  with  publisher's  device 
at  foot  of  page,  [ai]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [i]-[ii];  Title  as  above,  [a2]  (verso 
blank),pp.[iii]-[iv];"IntroductoryNote,"signed  by  Robert  Ross,[a3], 
pp.v-vi;"Preface,"[a4]-[a5](versoblank),pp.vii-[x];"Contents,"[a6]- 
[b8],pp.xi-xxxii;"ListOfPlates,"ci-[c4](versoblank),pp.xxxiii-[xl]; 
Half-title,"Part  I  Periodical  Publications,"  Ai  (verso  blank),pp.  1  -[2]; 
Text, [A2HP7]  (verso  blank), pp. $-[23 8] ;  Blank  leaf, [P8],  pp. [23 9]- 
[240]. 

Volume  II.  Half-title,"  Bibliography  Of  Oscar  Wilde  Volume  Two," 
with  publisher's  device  at  foot  of  page,  one  leaf  (verso  blank);  Title  as 
above  (except  volume  number),  one  leaf(versoblank);Text,"PartII 
Works  Issued  In  Book  Form,"  Qi-[Z8] and  2Ai-2Ni,pp.24i-562; 
Half-title, " Part  III  Biographies,  Studies, Etc.," [2N2] (verso  blank), 
pp.[563]-[564];Text,[2N3]-[203],pp.565-s82;«Appendix,"[204]- 
[205](verso  blank),pp.583-[586];"Ana,"[206]-[207](verso  blank), 
pp.587-[59o];"IndexOfNames,"[208]-[2P7](versoblank),ending 
with  imprint,  in  eights,  pp.  59  i-[6o6];  Advertisements,  [2P8](verso 
blank),  one  leaf  without  pagination. 

The  illustrations  in  this  edition  are  identical  with  those  of  the  popu- 
lar issue,  with  the  exception  that  all  of  the  full-page  plates  have  been 
issued  on  Japanese  vellum  paper.These  two  volumes  are  uniform  with 
and  appear  to  form  a  supplement  to  the  first  edition  of  "Wilde's  Col- 
lected Works,"  published  by  Methuen  and  Co., in  1 908. 

[83] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

MASON,  Stuart. 
A  Bibliography  ||  of  the  ||  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde  ||  Giving  Par- 
ticulars as  to  the  Original  Publication  of  each  ||  Poem,  with 
Variations  of  Readings  and  a  Complete  ||  List  of  all  Editions, 
Reprints,Translations,&c.||By||  Stuart  Mason ||  With  Portraits, 
Illustrations,FacsimilesofTitle-pages,||Manuscripts,&c.||Lon- 
don || E.Grant  Richards  || 7  Carlton  Street, S.W.||  1907 

Condition  :  8°,  white  buckram  boards,  lettered  in  gilt,  uncut.  Size  of 
leaf,  7^  by  5^  inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation  :Two  preliminary  blank  leaves,  [A  1  ]-[A2];Half-title,"Bib- 
liography  Of  The  Poems  Of  Oscar  Wilde,"  [A3]  (verso  note  on  the 
editions) ; Title  as  above,[A4]  (verso " [All  Rights  Reserved.] ") ;  Dedi- 
cation, [A5]  (verso  blank);  "Contents,"  [A6]  (verso  blank);  "List  Of 
Illustrations,"  [A7] (verso  blank);  Quotation  from  Ernest  Newman, 
[A8](versoblank);Text,Bi-[K4],infours,pp.[i]-i36;"IndexToThe 
First  Lines,"  [K5]-[K7](recto),pp.[i3  7] -141;  "Alphabetical  Index  Of 
Titles,"  [K7]  (verso)-L2  (verso"  An  Undiscovered  Poem"), pp. [142]- 
[148];  Blank  leaf,[L3],pp.[i49]-[i5o];Advertisements,[L4],pp.[i  51]- 

[154 

Including  the  frontispiece  there  are  nine  illustrations  as  called  for  in 
the  list. 

This  edition  was  limited  to  475  copies  on  laid  paper.  In  about  two  hun- 
dred copies,  between  the  frontispiece  and  title,  is  inserted  a  slip  regard- 
ing the  postponement  of  the  publication  of  Methuen's  complete  edi- 
tion of  the  poems  of  Wilde. 

The  portrait  facing  page  16  is  that  of  Oscar  Wilde  in  the  year  that  he 
won  the  Newdigate.The  drawingwas  recently  made  from  a  photograph, 
and  the  inscription  is  a  forgery.  As  many  as  possible  of  this  edition  were 
called  in  and  the  illustration  cancelled. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i9i4),pp.  568-569, 
No.  656. 

[84] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

MASON,  Stuart. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  and  ||The  Aesthetic  Movement.  ||  By  Stuart  Ma- 
son. 1 1  With  Initial  Letters  by  Alan  Odle  and  1 1  Illustrations  from 
Contemporary  Prints.  1 1  Townley  Searle,|  |  The  Collectors'  Book- 
shop, ||  43  Wellington  Quay,  ||  and  1 3  Swifts'  Row,  ||  Dublin : 

Ireland,  [n.d.] 

Condition:  40,  buff  printed  wrappers,uncut, wired.  Size  of  leaf,  1 1  by 
%y2  inches. 

Collation:  Cover-title  as  above  (all  except  imprint  within  double 
ruled  borders)(verso"No.43,"bySearle  in  autograph)  ;Text,six  leaves, 
with  autographic  signature  of  Stuart  Mason.  The  versos  of  leaves  2,5, 
and  6  are  blank. 

There  are  neither  signature  marks  nor  pagination. 
The  illustrations  are  five  in  number. 
MASON,  Stuart,  Editor. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  Art  and  Morality  ||  A  Defence  Of  ||"The  Picture 
Of  Dorian  Gray"  ||  Edited  By||Stuart  Mason||What  the  public 
calls  an  unhealthy  novel  1 1  is  always  a  beautiful  and  healthy  work 
of  ||  art. ||  London:  ||  J.Jacobs, Edgware  Road,W.||  1908. 
Condition  :  8°,  purple  linenboardsletteredinwhite,uncut.Size  of  leaf, 

1XA  ky  5  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,"  Art  AndMorality,"one  leaf  (verso"This  edi- 
tion consists  of  475  copies.  25  copies  have  been  printed  on  handmade 
paper"),  pp.[i]-[2] ;  Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  note  by  Stuart  Ma- 
son), pp.  [3 ]-[4] ;  "  Contents,"  one  leaf,  pp.  [s]-[6] ;  Text,  pp.  [7] -149  i 
"Bibliography,"  pp.  [150]  -1 60 ;  Advertisements,  two  leaves(the  verso 
of  last  being  blank). 

The  following  pages  are  blank:  8,23,35,41,47,  53, 65, and  117. 
There  is,  as  frontispiece,  a  picture  of  Wilde  reproduced  from  "The 
Pall  Mall  Magazine";  and  facing  page  97  is  a  caricature  reproduced 
from  "Punch." 
Reference:  Mason,BibIiograp/iy  of  Oscar  Wilde  (i  9 14)^.569^0.659. 

[85] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

MASON,  Stuart. 
The||OscarWildeCalendar||AQuotationFromTheWorksOf|| 
Oscar  Wilde  1 1  For  Every  Day  In  The  Year  1 1  With  Some  Unre- 
corded Sayings  ||  Selected  By  Stuart  Mason  ||  [Publisher's  de- 
vice.] 1 1  London  1 1  Frank  Palmer  1 1 1 2- 1 4  Red  Lion  Court  [  1 9 1  o.] 
Condition:  Small  8°, simili-vellum  wrappers, lettered  in  dark  green 
and  red  within  a  decorative  border  of  sunflower  design  in  dark  green, 
uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  6^  by  4^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation:  Half-title,  "The  Oscar  Wilde  Calendar,"  [sig.  ii]  (verso 
quotation  from  Oscar  Wilde),  pp.  [i]-[2J;  Title  as  above,  in  green  and 
red, [sig.  1 2]  (verso  "First  published  19 10"), pp.  [3H4];  Biographical 
1  note,  [sig.  1 3]  (verso  reproduction  of  pencil  drawing  of  Wilde  by  Albert 
C.  Sterner),pp.[5]-[6];Text,in  green  and  red,[sig.  i4]-[sig.  65],in  eights, 
pp.7-90;  Acknowledgments,[sig.  66](verso  imprint),pp. [9 1]-[92];  Ad- 
vertisements, printed  in  green,[sig.  67]-[sig.  6g],pp.[93]-[96]. 
The  running  head-lines  are  printed  in  red  throughout. 
The  frontispiece  is  a  reproduction  of  a  portrait  of  Oscar  Wilde  from  a 
painting  by  Harper  Pennington, in  the  possession  of  Robert  Ross,  Es- 
quire. 

The  pencil  drawing, opposite  page  7,1s  reproduced  from  "  La  Plume," 
Paris,  December  15, 1900, page  745. 

Facing  page  5  6  is  a  reproduction  of  the  last  photograph  of  OscarWilde, 
taken  in  Rome,  1 900. 

Reference  :  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  ( 1 9 1 4),pp.  5  5  8-559, 
No. 637. 

MILLARD,  Christopher  Sclater.  See  MASON,  Stuart. 

OscarWilde :  1 1  Three  1 1  Times  Tried  1 1  [Quotation  of  five  lines  from 
"De  Profundis."]  ||  London  ||  The  Ferrestone  Press,  Ltd.  ||  Red 
Lion  Court  [191 2.] 

Condition  :  8°,  blue  cloth  boards,  gilt  top,  uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  %  by 
53^  inches. 

[86] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

First  Edition. 

CoLLATiON:Half-title,"Famous  Old  Bailey  Trials  Of  The  XIX  Cen- 
tury Three  Times  Tried,"  [A  i]  (verso  "All  rights  Reserved."),  pp.  [i]- 
[ii] ;  Title  as  above,  [A2]  (verso  publisher's  bibliographical  note),  pp. 
[iii]-iv;"Contents,"[A3],pp.v-vi;  "Preface,"  [A4]-[A5](verso  blank), 
pp.  [vii]-[x];  Half-title,"  I. —The  First  Time,"  [A6] (verso  blank), pp. 
xi-[xii] ;  Text,  Bi-[K5]  (verso  blank),  pp.  i-[i38] ;  Half-title,"  II.- 
The  Second  Time,"  [K6]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [139H140] ;  Text,  [K7]- 
[Y3](verso  blank),pp.  1 4 1 -[3 26]  ;Half-title, " II I.-The  Third  Time," 
[Y4]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [3  2  7]-[3  2 8] ;  Text,  [Y5HZ8]  and  A  A 1  -H  H 1 , 
ineights,pp.329-466;Half-title,"Petitions,"[HH2](versonote),pp. 
[467]-468;Text,[HH3]-[HH4](versoblank),pp.469-[472];«Index," 
ending  with  imprint,in  eights,[HH5]-[Il2], pp.  473-484. 

This  work,  which  is  published  anonymously,  is  the  first  volume  of  a  se- 
ries entitled"  Famous  Old  Bailey  Trials  of  the  XIX  Century."  It  con- 
tains the  most  complete  published  account  of  the  trial. 
This  volume  contains"the  evidence  of  witnesses,  together  with  thepro- 
longed  cross-examination  of  Wilde  in  each  of  the  three  trials,  ...  as 
fully  as  possible,with  due  regard  to  discretion." 

The  three  trials  refer  to  the  libel  action  by  Wilde  against  the  Marquis 
of Queensberry  and  to  the  two  trials  ofWilde  for  offenses  against  the 
law  of  England,  under  Section  XI  of  the  Criminal  Amendment  Act  of 
1885. 

Willis  Vickery,  in  his  monograph  on  Oscar  Wilde  (1906),  says:  "The 
Court  can  convict  in  its  charges  and  there  was  no  exception  in  this  case. 
The  charge  of  theCourt  was  asavage  and  brutal  onslaught  by  the  judge." 
This  is  absolutely  untrue.  One  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  read  the 
charge  to  the  jury  in  Wilde's  first  trial  by  Mr.  Justice  Charles,  and  that 
by  Mr.  Justice  Wills  in  the  second,  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the 
impartiality  of  these  charges,  and  with  the  careful  protection  that  was 
given  to  the  prisoner  regarding  his  rights  under  the  laws  of  evidence. 
The  cruel  remarks  of  Justice  Wills,  however,  when  pronouncing  sen- 
tence,^ contrast  with  his  moderation  when  charging  the  jury,were  un- 
called for  and  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  judge. 

[87] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

That  Wilde  was  guilty  might  still  have  remained  a  matter  of  doubt  to 
many, considering  the  character  of  the  witnesses  against  him  who  were 
confessed  blackmailers  and  whose  testimony  was  supported  by  mere 
circumstantial  evidence  only;  but  Wilde's  confession  of  guilt  made  to 
FrankHarris  and  dramatically  related  by  himinhis"OscarWilde,His 
Life  and  Confessions"  (i  9 1 6),  has  put  this  question  beyond  dispute. 
Reference:  M.2LSonyBibliography  ofO  scarWilde{\  9 14)^.580^0.690. 

RANSOME,  Arthur. 
Oscar  Wilde  ||  A  Critical  Study  ||By  ||  Arthur  Ransome  ||  Lon- 
don ||  Martin  Seeker  ||  Number  Five  John  Street  ||  Adelphi  || 
MCMXII 

Condition:  8°, dark  blue  cloth  boards, design  and  lettering  stamped 
in  gilt  on  front-cover,  gilt  top,uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8  ^  by  5^  inches. 
First  Edition. 

Collation  :  Advertisement,[Ai]  (verso)  (recto  blank),pp.[i]-[2]  ;Half- 
title,"Oscar  Wilde,"  [A2] (verso  advertisement),  pp.  [3]- [4];  Title  as 
above,[A3](verso  list  of  books"ByTheSame  Author,"and  copyright 
notice),  pp.  [5] -[6] ;  Dedication  to  Robert  Ross,  [ A4]  (verso  blank),  pp. 
[7]-[8];"Note,"[A5],pp.9-io;c£Contents,"[A6](versoblank),pp.  11- 
[i2];Text,[A7]-[03]  (verso  imprint), in  eights,  pp.  i3~[2 14] ;  Adver- 
tisements, [C>4]-[0 8], five  leaves  without  pagination. 
The  frontispiece  is  aphotogravure  reproduced  from  apaintingof  Wilde 
by  Harper  Pennington,  formerly  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Ross. 
This  critical  work  of  OscarWilde's  works  is  probably  the  best  that  has 
been  as  yet  published,and  as  a  reviewer  in"TheTimes"observed  at  the 
time  it  was  published,  is  "the  first  book  on  Wilde  with  a  good  excuse 
for  existence." 

But  one  chapter  is  given  to  biographical  matters.  The  book  almost  en- 
tirely is  devoted  to  a  critical  reviewof  Wilde's  poetical  and  prose  works. 
It  is  the  work  of  a  deep  thinker  and  student  who  has  withal  a  pleasant 
literary  style  of  expression  and  whose  observations  are  deserving  of  the 
greatest  respect. 
Reference:  M.2LSon,Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1914)^.571,  No.  666. 

[88] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,Jr. 

RODD,Rennell. 
Rose  Leaf  1 1  And 1 1  Apple  Leaf  ||  By||  Rennell  Rodd||With  An 
Introduction  By||Oscar  Wilde  ||  [Device  of  a  wax  seal  in  red.]  | 
Philadelphia  ||  J.  M.  Stoddart  &  Co  ||  1882  ||  Copyright,  1882, 
byJ.M.Stoddart&  Co 

Condition:  8°,  cream  linen  boards,  printed  in  red  on  front-cover  with 
a  design  of  a  wax  seal  in  gilt,  gilt  top, uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  7  by  4^  inches. 
First  Edition,  first  issue. 

Collation  :  Half-title, "  Rose  Leaf  And  Apple  Leaf,"  [sig.  1 1]  (verso 
blank),pp.[i]-[2]  ;Title  as  above,in  red  and  black,[sig.  1 2](verso  blank), 
pp.  [3] -[4];"  Contents,"  [sig.  i3],  pp.  5-6;  Half-title,"  Oscar  Wilde," 
[sig.  i4]  (verso  small  design),  pp.  [7]-[8] ;"  L'Envoi,"  signed  "  Oscar 
Wilde,"  [sig.i5]-[sig.  25],  pp.  1 1-28  ;  Design,[sig.  26](verso  blank),pp. 
[29]-[3o] ;  Half-title, " Rennell  Rodd," [sig.  27](verso  blank),pp.  [31]- 
[32];  Dedication  to  Oscar  Wilde,  [sig.  2g]  (verso  blank),  pp.  [33J-[34]; 
Text,  sig.  3  j-[sig.  4S] (verso  blank),  pp.3 5~[6o] ;  Design,  [sig.  46](verso 
blank),  pp.  [6 1]-[62] ;  Half-title, "  Sonnets,"  [sig.  47] (verso  blank),  pp. 
[63H64] ; Text,  [sig.  4s]-[sig-  5 *]>  PP-  6S~1° 5  Design,  [sig.  53]  (verso 
blank),pp.[7 1  ]-[72] ;  Half-title,"Songs,"  [sig.  54](verso  blank),pp.[73]- 
[74];Text,[sig.55]-[sig.57],pp.75-8o;Design,[sig.58](versoblank),pp. 
[8i]-[82];Text,sig.  6i-8i(verso  blank), in  eights, pp.  83~[n6] ;  Four 
blank  leaves.  Pages  9  and  10  are  omitted  in  pagination. 
There  are  fourteen  illustrations  by  J.  E.  Kelly,  five  full-page  designs 
and  nine  vignette  tail-pieces. 

The  end-papers  are  white  with  green-flowered  design. 
Walter  Hamilton  in  "The  Aesthetic  Movement  in  England,  1882," 
says  of  Wilde's  introduction  that  "(though  written  in  prose)  [it]  reads 
like  a  poem  in  praise  of  a  poem,  for  his  language  is  rich  and  musical, 
though  perhaps  his  style  may  be  thought  a  trifle  involved." 

References:  DeRicci,TkeBookCo/IeciorysGuide(ig2i),p.620'^  Mason, 
Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (1 9  i4),pp.  1 78  -1 79, No.  241 . 

RODD,  Rennell. 
Rose  Leaf  1 1  And  ||  Apple  Leaf  ||  By  ||  Rennell  Rodd  ||  With  An 

[89] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

Introduction  By  ||  Oscar  Wilde  ||  [Device  of  a  wax  seal  in  red.]  || 
Philadelphia ||  J.  M.  Stoddart  &  Co. ||  1 882 1|  Copyright,  1882, 
byJ.M.Stoddart  &  Co. 

Condition  :  8°,full  vellum,printed  in  red  and  black  with  seal  in  brown, 
gilt  inside  borders,  gilt  top,  uncut,  enclosed  in  a  full  crimson  crushed 
levant  solander  case  by  Zucker.The  John  B.  Stetson, Jr., copy.  Size  of 
leaf,  6yi  by  4  inches. 
First  Edition,  second  issue. 

Collation:  Preliminary  blank  leaf,leaf  [2] ;  Half-title, "Rose  Leaf 
And  Apple  Leaf,"  leaf  [3] ;  Title  as  above,  in  red  and  brown,  leaf  [4] ; 
"  Contents,"  sig.  1  V[sig.  1  *a],  leaves  $-6 ;  Half-title, "  Oscar  Wilde," 
[sig.i*3],leaf  [7];  Design,[sig.i*4],leaf[8];"L'Envoi,"  signed  by  Oscar 
Wilde,sig.2I-[sig.42],leavesn-28;Design,[sig.43],leaf[29][and3o]; 
Half-title, "Rennell  Rodd,"  [sig.  4J,  leaf  [31]  [and  32];  Dedication, 
"To  Oscar  Wilde-' Heart's  Brother'-,"sig.  4*!,  leaf  [33]  [and  34]; 
Text,  [sig.  4*2]-[sig.  7*J,  leaves  3 5-59  [and  60] ;  Design,  [sig.  7*3], leaf 
[61]  [and  62];  Half-title," Sonnets,"  [sig. 7*4],leaf  [63]  [and  64];  Text, 
sig.8!-[sig.8*2], leaves  65-70;  Design,[sig.8*3],leaf  [71]  [and  72];Half- 
title,"Songs,"[sig.8*4],leaf[73][and74];Text,sig.9I-[sig.9*2],leaves 
75-80;  Design, [sig.  9*3], leaf  [81]  [and  82];Text,[sig.  9*4]-[sig.i3*4], 
in  double  signatures  of  fours  each,  leaves  83-1  i5;Three  blank  leaves 
at  end. 

Leaves  9  and  10  are  omitted  in  this  edition,  corresponding  with  pages 
9  and  10  which  are  also  omitted  in  the  regular  edition.  Contains  alter- 
nate thin  leaves  of  apple-green  paper. 

There  are  fourteen  illustrations  byJ.E.Kelly,comprising  five  full-page 
designs  and  nine  vignette  tail-pieces. 

On  the  front-cover  is  the  autographic  inscription : "  Oscar  Wilde  Sep- 
tember,'8  2.,"  and  on  the  fly-leaf  is  the  autographic  signature  of  J.Mar- 
shall Stoddart. 

Laid  in  are  two  autograph  letters,one  fromJ.M.Stoddart,Philadelphia, 
September  2 1 ,1 893, to  Herbert  S.  Stone  relative  to  this  work,and  one 
from  Louis  J. Rhead,Flatbush,  August  28, 1 893, to  Stone  and  Kimball 

[90] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

regarding  sketches  for  title-pages  for  a  new  edition  projected  by  them. 
Two  of  the  original  sketches  accompany  this  letter. 

The  seal-device  on  the  title-page  is  that  of  one  given  to  Wilde  by  his 
mother. 

The  curious  paper  upon  which  the  book  is  printed  was  originally  in- 
tended for  early  paper  currency  and  was  found  in  an  old  Philadelphia 
warehouse,where  it  had  been  stored  since  the  Revolution. 

J. M.  Stoddart,in  a  letter  printed  in  the  Mosher  edition  of  1 906, makes 
the  statement  that  this  edition  consisted  of  not  more  than  250  copies 
and  was  priced  at  $1.75,  but  that  Brentano  sold  many  of  them  for  S3. 00 
and  more  after  having  secured  Wilde's  autograph  on  the  cover. 

James  Rennell  Rodd  was  a  contemporary  of  Wilde  at  Oxford.  He  was 
educated  at  Balliol  and  won  the  Newdigate  Prize  for  English  verse  in 
1 8  8o,two  years  afterWilde  had  gained  the  same  prize  with"Ravenna." 
In  1 8  8 1 ,  Rodd  published  through  David  Bogue  a  volume  of  verse  en- 
titled"Songs  in  the  South/'and  in  a  presentation  copy,inscribed"Ren- 
nell  to  Oscar.  July  1 8  8o,"wrote  some  prophetic  lines  in  Italian  of  which 
the  following  is  a  rough  translation  :  "At  thy  martyrdom  the  greedy 
and  cruel  crowd  to  which  thou  speakest  will  assemble;  all  will  come  to 
see  thee  on  thy  cross,  and  not  one  will  have  pity  on  thee  !  " 

During  his  visit  to  America  in  1 882,Wilde  had  the  volume  reprinted 
under  the  title  of  "Rose  Leaf  and  Apple  Leaf/'and  wrote  "L'Envoi" 
as  an  introduction.  Rodd  objected  to  the  effusive  dedication  for  which 
Wilde  was  undoubtedly  responsible. Two  poems  which  had  appeared 
in"Songs  in  the  South"  were  omitted  in  this  volume;  and  nine  other 
poems  by  Rodd  not  previously  collected  were  added.  Some  passages 
in"L'Envoi"  had  appeared  in  his  lecture  on  the  "English  Renais- 
sance," which  he  delivered  on  his  tour  of  America,  in  1882.  In  this  in- 
troduction we  find  Wilde  at  his  very  best  as  a  critic  and  as  a  masterful 
prose  writer.  Its  effect  is  not  marred  as  is  so  usually  the  case  with  the  in- 
troduction of  epigrams  and  phrases  foreign  to  the  subject.  It  is  a  splen- 
did essay  on  the  beauty  of  art  creation  and  expression  as  an  end  in  itself, 
without  regard  to  subject  matter  or  metaphysical  ideas.  Advancing  the 
views  held  by  the  aesthetes  he  acknowledges  the  debt  that  that  cult  owed 

[91] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

to  Ruskin  for  his  teaching  "the  knowledge  of  all  noble  living  and  of  the 
wisdom  of  all  spiritual  things,"  but  points  out  the  departure  from  the 
teachings  of  Ruskin  in  the  insistence  placed  by  aestheticism  on  the  "in- 
creased sense  of  the  absolutely  satisfying  value  of  beautiful  workman- 
ship," and  on  the  sensuous  in  art  and  on  the  love  of  art  for  art's  sake. 

Reference:  Mason,  Bibliography  of  Oscar  Wilde  (19 14),  pp.  179-186, 

No.  242. 

SALTUS,  Edgar. 
Oscar  Wilde  1 1  An  Idler's  Impression  ||  By  ||  Edgar  Saltus  ||  [Pub- 
lishers' device.]  ||  Chicago  ||  Brothers  Of  The  Book  ||  1 9 1 7 

Condition:  8°,full  vellum, boards, gilt, uncut.  Size  of  leaf,  8*^  by  5^ 

inches. 

First  Edition. 

Collation: Two  preliminary  blank  leaves,pp.[i]-[4] ;Half-title,"Os- 

car  Wilde:  An  Idler's  Impression,"  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [5J-[6]; 

Title  as  above,  one  leaf  (verso  copyright  notice),  pp.  [7]-[8] ;  Remarks 

on  the  issues  of  the  first  edition,  "This  Copy  is  Number  19,"  with  the 

autographic  signature  of  Edgar  Saltus,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [9]- 

[10];  Second  half-title,  one  leaf  (verso  blank),  pp.  [1  i]-[i2];Text,  pp. 

1 3-26;  Colophon,  ending  with  publishers'  device  and  Latin  motto, one 

leaf  (verso  blank),  in  eights,  pp.  [2  7]-[2  8];  Two  blank  leaves. 

There  were  49  copies  of  this  issue  of  the  first  edition  printed  on  Ino- 
machi  vellum,  in  full  binding,  each  copy  autographed  by  the  author. 
The  type  from  which  this  edition  was  printed  has  been  distributed  and 
no  second  edition  will  appear. 

This  is  a  chatty  monograph  on  Wilde's  personality.  The  author  is  fully 
appreciative  of  Wilde's  undeniable  gifts  as  a  "causeur";  he  fails,  how- 
ever, to  recognize  in  Wilde  the  talents  that  others  have  not  failed  to 
discover.  He  says :  " Besides,  in  his  talk  he  was  lord  and  more— sultan, 
Pontifex  maximus.Hood,Jerrold, Smith, Sheridan, rolled  in  one,could 
not  have  been  as  brilliant."  But  elsewhere  he  writes:  "Wilde  was  a  third- 
rate  poet  who  occasionally  rose  to  the  second  class  but  not  to  the  first. 
Prose  is  more  difficult  than  verse  and  in  it  he  is  rather  sloppy."  Saltus 

[92] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 

in  this  criticism  put  himself  in  a  class  with  Lord  Alfred  Douglas-a  po- 
sition not  entirely  enviable. 

SCOTT,Temple. 

The  Wisdom  1 1  Of  1 1  Oscar  Wilde  1 1  Selected  With  Introduction  1 1 
And  Index  || By 1 1 Temple  Scott|| New  York||Brentano's Union 

Square  ||  MCMVIII 

CoNDiTiON:i6°,darkredlimpleatherwithdesignandletteringstamped 
ingilt,giltback,edgesgilt.  Size  of  leaf,  5  by  4^  inches. 

Second  Edition. 

CoLLATiON:Half-title,"The  Wisdom  OfOscarWilde,"one  leaf  (verso 

"Note"),pp.[i]-[ii];  Title  as  above,  in  red  and  black,  one  leaf  (verso 
copyright  notice),pp.[iii]-[iv];Introduction,twoleaves,pp.v-viii;Text, 

pp.i-i03;Blank,p.[io4]. 
There  are  no  signature  marks. 

The  title  is  within  a  double  ruled  border;  each  page  of  the  text  is  with- 
in a  single  line  border;  and  the  subject  of  each  quotation  is  stated  in  a 
marginal  note. 
REFERENCE:Mason,5/M^r^/^o/Oj^r^F//^(i9i4)Jp-562>No-643- 


[93] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 


INDEX  TO  WRITINGS  OF  OSCAR  WILDE 


Avelmperatrix.  Snohomish,  Washington: 
1902.  Limited  edition,  24. 

The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol.  London -.{Leon- 
ard Smithers), 1898.  First  edition, 20-22. 

The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol.  London:  {Leon- 
ard Smithers),i8p8.  Second  edition,  22. 

The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol.  London:  {Leon- 
ard Smithers), 1899.  Eighth  edition, 
22-23. 

The  Ballad  Of  Reading  Gaol.  New  Tork: 
(  Brentano's),  IOIO,  2 J. 

The  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol.  New  Tork: 
(Brentano's),  [n.  d. ] , 23-24. 

The  Duchess  Of  Padua.  1883.  First  edition, 
privately  printed  as  Manuscript,  36-39. 

Envoi,  P .  See  Rose-leaf  and  Apple-leaf.  Lon- 
don: 1904.  Privately  printed  edition, 
24-23. 

The  Harlot' 's  House.  1903.  Privately  printed 

edition,  23-26. 
The  Harlot'' s  House.  Boston :  (  John  W.  Luce 

And  Company),  191 o.  Pirated  edition, 26. 

An  Ideal  Husband.  London :  (  Leonard  Smith- 

ers  And  Co.), 1899.  First  edition, first 

is  sue,  3  8-3  9. 
An  Ideal  Husband.  London:  (Leonard  Smith- 

ers  And  Co. ) ,  1899.  First  edition,  second 

issue,  39-60. 
An  Ideal  Husband.  London :  (Leonard  Smith- 

ers  And  Co.), 1899.  First  edition,  third 

issue,  60. 
An  Ideal  Husband.  London:  (Methuen  £9* 

Co.  Ltd.), ^1914'] . Acting  edition, 60-61. 


The  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest.  London: 

(  Leonard  Smithers  And  Co. ) ,  1899.  First 

edition, first  issue, 37-38. 
The  Importance  Of  Being  Earnest.  London : 

(Leonard  Smithers  And  Co.),  1899.  First 

edition,  second  issue,  38. 

J.,M.B.SeeToM.B.J.,28. 

Lady  Windermere' 's  Fan.  London:  (Elk in 
Mathews  And  John  Lane),  1893.  First 
edition, first  issue,  49-30. 

Lady  Windermere's  Fan.  London : (Elk in 
Mathews  And  John  Lane),  1893.  First 
edition,  second  issue, 30-31. 

Lady  Windermere's  Fan.  1893.  Acting  edi- 
tion,32-33. 

Lady  Windermere' s Fan.  Paris:  1903. 
Pirated  edition, 31-32. 

Lecture  On  The  English  Renaissance.  See 
Poems,  New  Tork:  ( Munro),[i882~\ , 
9-IO. 

Lecture  On  The  English  Renaissance.  See 
Poems.  Paris .-1903, 12-13. 

Newdigate  Prize  Poem.  Ravenna.  Oxford: 
(  Thos.  Shrimp  ton  And  Son),  18/8.  First 
edition, 3-3. 

The  Plays  Of  Oscar  Wilde.  Boston  .-(John 
W.  Luce  y  Company),  61-62. 

Poems  in  Prose.  Greenwich,  Connecticut : 
(Literary  Collector  Press),  1903, 
27-28. 

Poems  in  Prose.  Paris:  1903.  Pirated  edi- 
tion, privately  printed,  26-2  J. 

Poems.  London:  (Bogue),i88l.  First  edi- 
tion, 3-8. 


[95] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 


Poems.  London:  {Bogue),l88l.  Second  edi- 
tion, 8. 

Poems.  Boston:  {Roberts  Bros.),l88l. 
First  authorized  American  edition,  8-9. 

Poems.  New  York:  {  George  Munro), 
[1882] ,  9-10. 

Poems.  London :  {Elkin  Mathews  &  John 
Lane) ,  1892.  Author's  edition,  10-11. 

Poems.  New  Tor k:  {George  Munro'1 's  Sons), 
{1 893^,11-1 2. 

Poems.  Paris:  1903.  Pirated  edition, 12-13. 

Poems.  Paris:  1903.  Pirated  edition  on  Jap- 
anese vellum,  13. 

Poems.  New  York:  {Brentand's) ,  1913, 
13-16. 

Poetical Works.  Portland,  Maine:  {  Mosher) , 
1908,13-13. 

Ravenna.  See  Newdigate  Prize  Poem, 3-3. 

Rose-leaf  and  Apple-leaf .  U  Envoi.  London: 

1904.  Privately  printed  edition,  24-23. 

Salome.  Londres:  {  Elkin  Mathews  et  John 

Lane), 1 893.  First  edition, 39-44. 
Salome.  London:  {Elkin  Mathews  tif  John 

Lane),  1894.  First  English  edition, first 

issue,  44-43. 
Salome.  London:  {Elkin  Mathews  &  John 

Lane),  1894.  First  English  edition, second 

issue,  43-46. 
Salome.  San  Francisco:  {  The  Paper  Covered 

Book  Store),  1 896, 46. 
Salome.  London :  { Melmoth  &  Co.),  1 904. 

Pirated  edition,  first  issue,  46-47. 


Salome.  London :  {  Melmoth  &  Co. ) ,  1904. 
Pirated  edition,  second  issue,  47. 

Salome.  London:  {John  Lane),  1 907, 47-48. 

Salome.  Boston:  {  John  W.  Luce  tff  Com- 
pany), 1907,48-49. 

The  Sphinx.  London:  {Elkin  Mathews  And 
John  Lane),  1 894.  First  edition,  16-18. 

The  Sphinx.  London:  1 901.  Limited  edition, 
privately  printed,  18-19. 

The  Sphinx.  London:  {John  Lane),  1 920. 
Limited  edition,  illustrated  by  Alastair, 
19-20. 

To  M.  B.  J.  \_Hampstead:  {John  Rodker) , 
1920.  ]  First  edition,  28. 

Vera;  Or,  The  Nihilists.  London :  {Ranken 
&  Co.),  1880.  First  edition, 33-33. 

Vera;  Or,  The  Nihilists.  1882.  Second  edi- 
tion,33-36. 

Vera;  Or,  The  Nihilists.  1902.  Pirated  edi- 
tion,privately  printed, 36. 

A  Woman  Of  No  Importance.  London:  {  Elkin 

Mathews  And  John  Lane),  1 894.  The 

Proof  Copy, 33-33. 
A  Woman  Of  No  Importance.  London: 

{  John  Lane) ,  1894.  First  edition,  second 

issue, 33. 
A  Woman  Of  No  Importance.  London :  {  John 

Lane) ,  1894.  First  edition,  third  issue, 

A  Woman  Of  No  Importance.  Paris :  1903. 
Pirated  edition, 36-37. 


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The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 


INDEX  TO  WILDEIANA 


The  Esthetic  Movement  In  England.  Ham- 
ilton, Walter.  Second  edition,  73. 

[Amery,  Leopold  Charles  Maurice  S ten  net  t, 
{and  others) .  ]  Aristophanes  At  Oxford. 
First  edition,  67-68. 

[Amherst,  Margaret  Susan  Tyssen,  Editor.  ] 
In  a  Good  Cause.  First  edition,  68. 

Aristophanes  At  Oxford.  [Amery,  L.  C.  M., 
and  others.  ]  First  edition,  67-68. 

Bibliography  Of  Oscar  Wilde.  Mason, 

Stuart.  First  edition,  82. 
Bibliography  Of  Oscar  Wilde.  Mason, 

Stuart.  Edition  de  luxe,  83. 
A  Bibliography  of  the  Poems  of  Oscar  Wilde. 

Mason,  Stuart.  First  edition,  84. 
Birnbaum,  Martin.  Oscar  Wilde.  Fragments 

And  Memories.  Limited  edition,  68-69. 
Blei,  Franz.  See  La  Jeunesse,  Ernest. 
\Bloxam,  John  Francis.]  The  Priest  And 

The  Acolyte.  Second  edition,  69-70. 
Br'emont,  Anna  Elizabeth,  Comtesse  De. 

Oscar  Wilde  And  His  Mother.  First  edi- 
tion, 70. 

Cowley-Brown,  John  Stapleton,  Editor. 

See  The  Goose-Quill, 73-74. 
Crosland,  Thomas  William  Hodgson.  The 

First  Stone.  First  edition,  70-71. 
Cruso,  Henry  A  If  or  d Antony.  See  Amery, 

Aristophanes  at  Oxford,  67-68. 

Douglas,  Alfred,  Lord.  Oscar  Wilde  And 

Myself.  First  American  edition,  J 1-72. 

Dublin  Verses.  Hinkson,  Henry  A. ,  77-78. 

The  First  Stone.  Crosland,  T.  W.  H.  First 
edition,  70-71. 


Gide,  Andre.  Oscar  Wilde.  A  Study  From 
The  French.  First  edition  in  English, 

72-73- 
Gide  Andre.  See  La  Jeunesse,  Ernest. 
The  Goose-Quill.  Cowley-Brown,  John 

Stapleton,  Editor.  First  edition,  73-74. 
The  Green  Carnation.  \_Hichens,  Robert 

Smythe.  ]  First  American  edition,  77. 

Hagemann,  Carl.  Wilde-Brevier.  German 
edition,  74. 

Hamilton,  Walter.  The^Esthetic  Movement 
in  England.  Second  edition,  73. 

Harris,  Frank.  Oscar  Wilde.  His  Life  And 
Confessions.  Special  edition,  73-77. 

\_Hichens,  Robert  Smythe. ~\The  Green  Car- 
nation. First  American  edition,  77. 

Hinkson,  Henry  A.  Dublin  Verses,  77-78. 

Hirst,  Francis  Wrigley.  See  Amery,  Aris- 
tophanes at  Oxford,  67-68. 

In  a  Good  Cause.  \_Amherst,  Margaret  Susan 
Tyssen,  Editor.  ]  First  edition,  68. 

Ingleby,  Leonard  Creswell.  Oscar  Wilde. 
Second  edition,  78-79. 

Kenilworth,  Walter  Winston.  A  Study  of 
Oscar  Wilde.  First  edition,  79-80. 

La  Jeunesse,  Ernest,  Gide,  Andre,  and  Bid, 

Franz.  Recollections  Of  Oscar  Wilde, 

80-81. 
Lounsbery,  G.  Constant.  The  Picture  Of 

Dorian  Gray,  A  Play.  First  edition, 

81-82. 

Mason,  Stuart.  Bibliography  Of  Oscar 
Wilde.  First  edition,  82. 


[97] 


The  Library  of  William  Andrews  Clark,  Jr. 


Mason,  Stuart.  Bibliography  Of  Oscar 
Wilde.  Edition  de  luxe,  8 J. 

Mason,  Stuart.  A  Bibliography  of  the  Poems 
of  Oscar  Wilde.  First  edition,  84. 

Mason,  Stuart.  Oscar  Wilde  and  The  Aes- 
thetic Movement,  85. 

Mason,  Stuart,  Editor.  Oscar  Wilde.  Art 
and  Morality.  First  edition,  8 J. 

Mason,  Stuart.  The  Oscar  Wilde  Calendar. 
First  edition,  86. 

Millard,  Christopher  Sclater.  See  Mason, 
Stuart. 

Oscar  Wilde.  Ingleby,  Leonard  Creswell. 

Second  edition,  78-79. 
Oscar  Wilde.  A  Critical  Study.  Ransome, 

Arthur.  First  edition,  88. 
Oscar  Wilde.  An  Idler's  Impression.  Saltus, 

Edgar.  First  edition,  92-9J. 
Oscar  Wilde.  Art  and  Morality.  Mason, 

Stuart,  Editor.  First  edition,  85. 
Oscar  Wilde.  Fragments  And  Memories. 

Birnbaum,  Martin.  Limited  edition,  68-69. 
Oscar  Wilde.  His  Life  And  Confessions. 

Harris,  Frank.  Special  edition,  75-77- 
Oscar  Wilde.  A  Study  From  The  French. 

Gide,  Andre.  First  edition  in  English, 

72-73- 

Oscar  Wilde.  Three  Times  Tried.  First  edi- 
tion, 86-88. 

Oscar  Wilde  And  His  Mother.  Bremont,  Anna 
Elizabeth,  Comtesse  de.  First  edition,  70. 

Oscar  Wilde  And  Myself.  Douglas,  Alfred, 
Lord.  First  American  edition,  71-72. 

Oscar  Wilde  and  The  Aesthetic  Movement. 
Mason,  Stuart,  85. 


The  Oscar  Wilde  Calendar.  Mason,  Stuart. 
First  edition,  86. 

The  Picture  Of  Dorian  Gray :  A  Play.  Louns- 
bery,  G.  Constant.  First  edition,  81-82. 

The  Priest  and  the  Acolyte.  \_Bloxam,John 
Francis.  ]  Second  edition,  69-70. 

Ransome,  Arthur.  Oscar  Wilde.  A  Critical 

Study.  First  edition,  88. 
Recollections  Of  Oscar  Wilde.  Lajeunesse, 

Ernest,  Gide,  Andre,  and  Blei,  Franz, 

80-81. 
Rodd,  Rennell.  Rose  Leaf  And  Apple  Leaf. 

First  edition, fir st  issue,  89. 
Rodd,  Rennell.  Rose  Leaf  And  Apple  Leaf. 

First  edition,  second  issue,  89-92. 
Rose  Leaf  And  Apple  Leaf.  Rodd,  Rennell. 

First  edit  ion,  fir  st  issue,  89. 
Rose  Leaf  And  Apple  Leaf.  Rodd,  Rennell. 

First  edition,  second  issue,  89-92. 

Saltus,  Edgar.  Oscar  Wilde  An  Idler''  s  Im- 
pression. First  edition,  92-93. 
Scott,  Temple.  The  Wisdom  Of  Oscar  Wilde. 

Second  edit  ion, 93. 
A  Study  of  Oscar  Wilde.  Kenilworth,  Walter 

Winston.  First  edition,  79-80. 

Wilde-Brevier.  Hagemann,  Carl.  German 

edition,  74. 
The  Wisdom  Of  Oscar  Wilde.  Scott,  Temple. 

Second  edition,  9J. 

T.  T.  0.  See  Amery,  Aristophanes  at  Ox- 
ford, 67-68. 


[98] 


IN  MEMORIAM. 

WILDE.— On  the  30th  Nov.,  1900,  at  No.  13,  Bnedes 
Beaux  Arts,  Paris,  Oscar  Wilde,  Author  of  Salome 
and  other  works.  Fortified  by  the  Sacraments  of  the 
Catholic  Church.     Interred  at  Pere  Lachaise. 


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